Children of the Unseelie
by Aria6
Summary: Roxas is sent to a Christian camp to work out his drug use and sexual orientation... but this camp is not what it seems. Why are the teachers all so strange? Especially the sexy redhead. Lemons and mpreg eventually, enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

"I can't believe they did this to me." Roxas mumbled as he slumped dismally in the back of the bus.

Yeah, okay. So he'd totally fucked up his grades. So he'd gotten in with the 'wrong' crowd… fuck, why not, it was where he belonged. So he'd done a monster doobie, some mushrooms and then had an orgy with Hayner, Olette and a bunch of people he couldn't remember. He'd ended up on his parents porch wrapped in a blanket with twigs in his hair and had to get tested for STD's which had miraculously come out clean. Well, he was young. What was wrong with that?

A lot according to his parents. Roxas was disgusted. He'd grown up all by himself with a cat for company, basically. What in hell did they expect would happen? He'd been smoking blunts since he was ten and they hadn't seemed to notice. But oh, can't let the grades go! And can't have any hint he might be bi or gay. That was just _horrible_ you know. So off he went to Christian boot camp.

"Fuck them." Roxas hissed. He stewed in resentment for a moment then sighed. Roxas didn't have any choice in the matter. He was only seventeen and hadn't a dime to his name. He was on a one way trip to a special 'camp' for troubled teens. The one thing his parents had a load of was money and this was a very exclusive camp that promised results. Apparently they'd make him into everything his parents wanted although it might take an entire year. Roxas wanted to see how they were going to do that. He knew he was never, ever going to change.

The bus dropped him off at a remote little stop in front of a diner. Roxas looked around, frowning. He'd been told someone from the camp would be here to pick him up but the only person there was someone who _could not_ be from a fundamentalist Christian camp! A hot redheaded guy wearing an outfit that would have given his teachers a heart attack, let alone the pastor. Roxas swallowed hard as he looked the man over. He was wearing low rise jeans with an ornate and surely non-functional belt, a tight black t-shirt that revealed an expanse of very toned stomach and black leather cuffs on his wrists. The tattoos on his face and four piercings in each ear just completed the impression of a complete badass. Of course, the wrapping might not mean much. Roxas had known complete pussies who –

Roxas swallowed again as the boy walked towards him and decided that this man wasn't a pussy. He moved with complete confidence and a grace that Roxas bet owed a lot to martial arts training. There was something about him that seemed to say _I can fuck you up if I want _to Roxas. Then he suddenly blinked as he realized the shirt had a logo on it, stitched in white. _St. Jude's Camp._

"Hey there. Would you be Roxas?" The man was looking at a picture dubiously and Roxas knew why. He'd TOLD his family not to send that idiotic Christmas card picture but they hadn't listened. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered to talk. It was such a waste of breath.

"Uh, y – yes. Who are you?" Roxas hated his stammer and hated even more the grin the guy gave him. It was definitely an 'I know why you stuttered there' look.

"I'm Axel, the guy everyone loves to hate. Come right this way to my rolling torture chamber." Axel waved a hand and Roxas followed the gesture to a van. If it hadn't been for the logo on the side he'd have been very worried. It looked like something pedobear would buy. "I have candy." Roxas snorted and took a quick glance at the paper Axel was holding. Yes, that was definitely the e-mail he'd sent to his parents. This might be weird as hell but it was legitimate.

"It better not be gumballs. I hate gumballs." Roxas grumbled as he slid into the front seat of the van. Axel laughed and took his seat, firing up the van and whistling as he peeled out onto the road. "Hey, watch the speed limit!"

"I'm watching. I just don't care." Axel said with a smile and Roxas sighed to himself. At least he redhead seemed to be a good driver even if he was easily doing thirty over the limit.

"What's a guy like you doing working for a Christian camp for kids with problems?" Roxas abruptly asked. Why pussyfoot around it? Axel glanced at him with an amused look before looking back at the road.

"Are you judging me by appearances Roxas? That's not a very Christian thing to do." Axel said mockingly and Roxas scowled at him.

"Sure it is." Axel gave him a surprised glance. "Why else do people dress up to go to church on Sunday? And doesn't the bible say that the body is a temple and shouldn't be defaced?" Roxas was pretty sure that was in there somewhere.

"Roxy, you have to remember that the bible was written a long time ago and it was basically done by committee. A bunch of little stories that got shoved together to make a whole. But if you look at things historically I don't think they were referring to piercings and tats when they came up with that. I think they were talking more about, um, what's it called." Axel seemed to be struggling to find a word. "Nutting?"

"Nut… oh. Castration." Roxas filled in the blank. Axel nodded enthusiastically.

"That's the one! And I tell you, I do not want that part of my temple defiled." Roxas couldn't help but laugh at that and admired Axel for a moment. The redhead was smoking hot and had a sense of humor. Not at ALL what he'd been expecting. Still…

"You haven't answered my question though. What is it you do at a Christian camp?" He asked and Axel grinned.

"Eh, got me. I'm the gym teacher." That, Roxas could actually see. "I also teach martial arts and horseback riding." That he could see even more. He tried to picture Axel in a western saddle, in flannel, jeans and boots. That worked. "And that's why I'm the guy everyone loves to hate. You're going to be running laps sweetheart."

"Fuck you. I'm in the track and field club." Roxas said succinctly and Axel grinned.

"Oh, a fit one! Excellent. I'm sure you'll be wanting to learn martial arts then." Axel said happily and Roxas regretted opening his mouth. On the other hand, it would be rather nice to learn martial arts. His parents had been death on violence of any kind.

"Yeah, I guess." Roxas watched the scenery go by for a while. "So. How far away is this place?"

"Half an hour. Not so long." Axel answered and Roxas sighed, fiddling with the radio. "Hey, did I say you could do that?"

"Are you saying I can't? You want to sit in silence the whole trip?" Roxas said, irritated, and Axel glanced over with a smile.

"Silence is golden, but I was just sayin' you should have asked. Ah, go ahead. I'm tone deaf but I can take it." Axel couldn't help it, he just didn't appreciate music much. Roxas frowned but shrugged and began searching through the stations.

"Could listen to a talk show." He murmured and managed to find one. Axel groaned.

"Oh god please no." Suddenly curious Roxas listened and realized it was a well known, syndicated personality who was pretty open about his anti-gay marriage, anti-abortion stances. "Can we just listen to music instead? I don't mind that guy having his opinions but he's fucking obnoxious!"

"You're a fundamentalist Christian. Don't you agree with him?" Roxas asked as he obediently changed the channel. He wasn't really interested in listening to the guy either. Axel snorted.

"Don't bring religion into this. It has nothing to do with it. His tone of voice just grates on my last nerve, the way he sounds like a televangelist…" Roxas blinked and laughed. Axel was right, that guy did sound like he'd been trained at televangelists R us. "But if you really want my personal opinions, I'm bi and have no problem with gay people. Are you gay?" Axel asked idly and Roxas hesitated a moment.

"Yes, I am." He said abruptly. He could perform with women and probably had during that orgy but he knew he was gay. When he fantasized about someone it was always about other guys. Axel nodded, unsurprised.

"That was what your parents said but I figured I might as well ask. You never know, parents can be wrong sometimes." Axel said as he began slowing to make a right hand turn. Roxas blinked at that but he thought he could see that happening. Straight boy gets kissed by gay friend, parents find out and disbelieve his protests. Rare scenario but it could happen. Or maybe boy is molested, finally confesses to parents and they're nutty and decide that means he's gay… yeah, Roxas could think of several possibilities where that could happen.

Roxas was still musing about it when he felt the van come to a halt. Blinking he realized they'd just pulled up in front of a huge ranch house. It was made out of red brick with a weathered wooden roof and looked very old and very solid. There was a girl sitting on the doorstep and doodling on a piece of paper, looking into the sunset dreamily.

"Hello Axel." She said with a smile as they got out of the car. Axel was frowning as he looked at her but then he shrugged and smiled.

"Hey Nam'. How's it hanging?" She smiled and Roxas eyed her warily. If he hadn't known better he would have thought she was on something. She seemed a bit out of it.

"Pretty good. I've been drawing you and Roxas." She said and Roxas briefly wondered how she knew his name. Oh, they'd probably told everyone there was going to be a new student. "Want to see?"

"Sure." Axel took the notepad and tilted his head as he looked at it. Roxas peeked over his shoulder and was disappointed. They were just stick figures, really, crudely drawn. But he could still recognize himself and Axel, largely from the hair. Why were they wearing black coats though? Axel gazed at the picture for a moment then shook his head and handed it back. "Thanks Namine. Oh, Roxy, this is Namine. She's the resident witch." Namine laughed and shook her head.

"Oh Axel, you make me sound so terrible! Don't worry Roxas, I think you'll like it here." She took her notepad and went back into the building. Axel and Roxas followed.

The house, facility, whatever you wanted to call it was just as big as Roxas had expected. There were classrooms for teaching and a huge gym, and to his surprise a pool as well. Axel showed him everything and introduced him to the students and teachers. Too many names were going through his head but Roxas managed to hang onto a few of the more memorable ones. There was a guy named Demyx who had the most awful hair he'd ever seen. A kid named Zexion who always had his nose in a book and a girl named Larxene who liked to play with a butter knife, for some reason. The others were a collection of misfits who melted together. There wasn't really that many of them, only twenty or so.

The teachers stood out in his mind more. There was a slender girl named Xion who taught history and English. She seemed vaguely familiar to Roxas for some reason. There was a tall, thin man with long blonde hair named Vexen. He was the math and chemistry teacher. A very tall, bulky man named Lexaeus who taught social studies and languages. Roxas was vaguely impressed to find out that he spoke six fluently and two more not as well. Namine was a teacher as well and she handled Art. A pink haired man named Marluxia taught biology. Axel was the phys-ed teacher just as he'd claimed and while the kids clearly liked him as a person no one looked forward to his classes. There were also several other adults although Roxas couldn't really figure out what they did. They were all very compelling though and Roxas quickly met Xigbar, Xaldin and Luxord. They were all playing a game of cards and drinking when Axel introduced him to them. Something about that bothered Roxas and he quickly figured it out.

"I thought fundamentalist Christians were down on gambling." He asked Axel as they left the room. If the stuff they were using was monopoly money then he was the Queen of England. Axel laughed at that.

"Ah, but Luxord would die without his daily dose! We've gotten him away from the racehorses. He almost got both his legs broken by the mob." Roxas listened, fascinated, as Axel shared some gossip about his fellow teacher. Well, maybe it wasn't really gossip. Axel wasn't troubling himself to lower his voice so it was probably all common knowledge. "Hey, want to come see the horses?"

"Huh? Oh sure." Roxas followed Axel obediently as the redhead showed him the stable. "Wow!" Roxas admired the horses although he really knew nothing about them. But they all seemed very well cared for.

"Part of everyone's duties is to help muck out the stalls while they're on turnout." Axel said casually and Roxas glanced at him to see if he was serious. Seeing the redhead was he groaned. Using a shovel and cleaning out horse poo was not his idea of fun. "It's not really that bad. There's twenty of you and only ten horses." If everyone buckled down it was possible to clean out the stalls quickly. Roxas blinked as something occurred to him.

"Hey, is that what Xigbar, Xaldin and Luxord do here? Take care of the horses?" That might make sense given Axel's comment about racehorses. Perhaps Luxord hadn't just been involved in betting on them. Axel nodded.

"Luxord used to be a racehorse trainer. Xigbar was a ranch hand and Xaldin is a vet tech as well as a decent farrier." Roxas nodded, satisfied. He still wasn't happy about being here but at least he knew what everyone was doing. "Oh, we also have a Headmaster too. That's Xemnas, you won't see him around much. And a lay minister, Saix. I have no idea where he is but you'll meet him on Sunday."

"Hmm." Was all Roxas said. He wasn't really looking forward to meeting a priest, even a lay one. Especially not at a camp that was supposed to be straightening out his drug use and sexual orientation. The first might happen but the second? Never.

"This is your room." Axel flung open a door and Roxas looked around before nodding. It actually wasn't bad. A comfortable looking bed, a desk with a computer and a bookshelf full of books. Even a small TV. It made Roxas think of a minimum security prison. "There's plenty of clothes in the shelves over there. Should all be your size." Roxas nodded again. All the students here wore a uniform and he felt a flare of resentment at it. He'd liked his style a lot and had carefully picked it out, but now he'd be wearing nothing but white tees and black pants with an odd, almost phallic logo. Roxas started checking out the room and to his discomfort Axel stayed, just leaning against the wall and watching him with a small smile.

"Isn't there something you need to do?" Roxas finally asked. He wanted to take a nap and how could he do that with a teacher in the room? Axel scratched his head, thinking for a moment.

"Nope. Except wait for the supper bell which should be soon then show you to the mess hall." Axel said mildly and Roxas sighed to himself. Of course his annoying, intrusive behavior would actually make sense. Roxas glanced at Axel and was struck again by how bright his green eyes were, how impressive his hair was. Along with the piercings and tats Axel was just the kind of guy Roxas would have loved to get fucked by in the school bathroom. The thought tightened his pants a little and Roxas quickly shoved it away. Axel wouldn't be receptive. He was a teacher at a Catholic school! Although in the movies it was always the gym teacher… The bell rang and Axel grinned. Roxas stared at him as the redhead caught his hand, pulling him out of the room.

"This way!" With nothing else to do Roxas followed Axel. But he smiled to himself as he formulated the beginnings of a plan.

If he was stuck at a Christian camp he might as well try to corrupt it as much as he could.

* * *

"We've got a good group this time." Axel said complacently as Luxord shuffled the cards and dealt. Xion lifted her eyebrows at him as Vexen snorted expressively.

"There is nothing exceptional about any of them." He said repressively as he flipped his bet into the centre of the table. It was a tiny bead of amber, glowing with an inner radiance. Axel matched it and raised a pearl. Xion idly stirred her pile of gemstones with a finger before she smiled slyly and added a sapphire to the mix. If any of the children had happened to glance in the room, they would have seen their teachers playing cards for quarters. But there were many things the students couldn't see at St. Jude's camp.

"Psh, you don't watch them the way I do." Axel disagreed as he flipped over his cards. "Three aces? You bitch." Xion just laughed and pulled in her winnings. "Mmm, that Roxas kid has got it for sure. He picked out all the other ones who have it instantly."

"Really? That's interesting." Vexen murmured. Like called to like and if Roxas had reacted to Demyx, Zexion and Larxene he was likely what they wanted. Still. "Only four out of twenty is still terrible. And only one a girl. We need more girls." Xion gave him a disgusted look. "What? It is a biological fact that women carry children."

"Oh blow me. It's not like we're lacking for time." That was completely true so Vexen just nodded before placing a cautious bet. That was how he played the game, slow and steady. Axel decided he was tired and shoved all his gems to the centre. Luxord laughed and called him on it and soon he was out of the game. Xion shook her head as he stood, stretching.

"You're a terrible gambler." When Axel decided he didn't want to play anymore he just threw everything away. It made him very hard to predict. Axel laughed and shrugged.

"I only gamble what I can afford to lose. Later Xion." Walking back to his room Axel reflected on a cute little blonde.

Maybe he'd gamble with something else soon. He didn't believe he could really lose his heart.


	2. This Place is Weird

_In the human world, the royal courts are dead and done;  
But us Fey still love to keep our fun.  
A lack of light, no chance to see,  
The difference between the cruel and the gallantry.  
The Fey dwell in the pleasure; and the perverse.  
But tell me human:  
Just which is worse?_

Axel smiled at Namine's little song. It wasn't entirely accurate. The true courts of the Fey were gone and done with. But their children remained and filled the Court of the Night. In the real world all of the children were in bed, their slumber assured with a few simple spells. And their teachers and the one boy who'd already been inducted, Zexion, stood in the Court of Darkness.

It wasn't anything like it had used to be. Axel knew that intellectually and the great tapestries on the walls confirmed it. In the past, this court had been filled with beautiful and hideous Fey. It had also once been held in an enormous palace with treacherous halls that could easily be deadly if you didn't know your way around. From the pictures, the décor had been stunning and horrible.

There was very little left. Only a mere shell of a palace, most of it decaying enough to be dangerous. And not because something would eat you, but because the floor might collapse or the roof might flake off on you. Only the throne room was still habitable. They had worked hard to patch up the room, firm the floor and salvage the tapestries and marble columns. Xemnas sat on the dark throne, gazing out over them with a small smile. Once upon a time that throne would have been death to sit in for anyone but the Queen but now it was only a chair.

Luxord danced with Xion as Namine sang another song, twirling the smaller girl effortlessly. Axel swallowed his drink, savoring the sweet nectar of the Summerland. This was the land of dreams and nightmares and the taste was unearthly. Axel felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into rich golden eyes.

"Dance with me." Saix purred. Axel nodded easily, setting his cup down on a table and briefly brushing his hand over a phantom beam. He knew that brief touch of cold iron from the real world would have crippled a real fey with agonizing pain. But Axel and the others were not true fey. That was why they were alive when their ancestors were dead.

"Why not?" He agreed and laughed as Saix twirled him like a girl. Here in their ancestral home, the illusions were dropped and Axel could see the Saix's pointed ears, dainty fangs and cat-like eyes. His own appearance was no different but that didn't concern Axel in the least. What mattered was what lay inside and he was strong in his element. The dancing quickly turned hot and primal and Axel groaned as Saix's hands dug into his shoulders, their hips grinding together. It hurt in all the right ways and there was laughter from the others.

"Axel, Saix. Take that outside." Xemnas commanded as Axel ran his tongue over Saix's pointed ear. The blue haired man lifted his head to grin at their superior.

"Why? The fey did it right here. That tapestry says so." He yanked his head towards one particularly pornographic piece of art. Xemnas lifted his eyebrows and pointed to a different scene.

"That one shows the Queen of Night decapitating an impudent petitioner. Now go, or I'll emulate her." Saix sighed hotly but dragged Axel out and the redhead went willingly. They knew better than to press Xemnas too far. Axel laughed wildly as Saix pressed him against a wall and they began their passionate duet again. They would both pay for it later, of course, but not too much. Contrary to what many people believed fornication was not terribly damaging to the soul.

Other things were much worse.

* * *

"I want to see sprints people! Devon, move your ass!" A boy near Roxas cursed and tried to lengthen his stride. "Better!" Roxas sneered to himself, handling the sprints easily. Although he noticed that Axel was doing a lot more than just directing them. He was literally running rings around them and showed only a little sweat. The hot redhead was so fit it was scary. Roxas licked a bit of sweat off his upper lip as he glanced at Axel sideways. He was wearing black shorts and a black tee with an odd white symbol on it and all his muscles were – "ROXAS!" Roxas yelped in pain as he ran into another boy. The other kid cursed and shoved him away. "Watch where you're going!"

"R – Right! Sorry." He was a bit surprised to find himself apologizing. Back in High School he'd have more likely sneered and just kept going. The other boy, Demyx, nodded good naturedly.

Once Axel was satisfied that they were warmed up he began the lessons in martial arts. Roxas worked very hard at that, delighted at the prospect of coming home and telling his parents that he now knew how to seriously f someone up. It would serve them right for sending him here in the first place.

Someone bumped into him and Roxas snarled but let it go, although his head felt a bit… funny. Scowling, he rubbed his forehead for a moment and didn't catch the assessing look Axel gave him. Finally Axel called a halt and had them do a slow jog to cool down. Roxas couldn't resist taking quick peeks at him. How old was Axel, anyway? He looked maybe twenty. All the instructors here looked pretty young really, the oldest was maybe Xigbar who looked around thirty-five or so with all the grey hair. Everyone else looked younger. It was a little odd.

But then, this whole place was odd. If he hadn't known that all the kids were here for drug use, thievery and other problems Roxas would never have guessed. Sure, they had a lot of rough edges, especially the newest ones like himself. But they all seemed to be easing into life here so easily. There should have been more problems. It was like – like a dream.

"Hmph!" Roxas dismissed the thought as he worked at peeling and slicing a pineapple. Several of the students got to prepare supper although the teachers helped and oversaw them. It was actually a preferred job. Mucking out the stables was the other big one and the people on cooking duty got to skip it. Roxas vaguely wondered who cleaned the rest of the facility. It was always spotless but he was sure the kids didn't do it and he couldn't imagine Luxord or Xigbar with a mop. "So hey. What are you in for?" He suddenly asked Larxene who looked up from her chopping. She was taking care of a bunch of green peppers.

"Cut a kid." She said briefly. Demyx winced but Roxas just nodded. From the way she was always playing with a knife he'd figured it was something like that. "It's kind of weird. I haven't felt the urge to stab someone since I got here." She sounded faintly bewildered by that. "What are you here for?"

"I got sent here for doing drugs and having a lot of sex." Roxas said with a shrug as he cut the pineapple and dumped it in a bowl. Larxene's green peppers went into another bowl and she started on the onions, indifferent to the eye watering fumes. Demyx was taking all the pieces and sliding them onto kabobs along with chunks of spiced lamb. Marluxia was watching them work and occasionally checking on the soup they were making to go with it. It was a curry broth full of barley, carrots and potatoes. They'd sliced those first since they took much longer to cook. This place was very well organized. After the stables were cleaned out the horses would be brought in from the pasture for the night. "You Dem?"

"I – did heroin." Demyx said softly and they both looked at him, vaguely surprised. "I used to want it all the time but I don't anymore, and it's only been six months. Isn't that strange?" Demyx sounded very worried and Roxas frowned, thinking about it.

"Yeah, that's pretty weird." He'd known some addicts before, although not heroin ones. But he'd heard it wasn't an easy habit to break. "Is it just me or is there something weird about this whole place?" Roxas kept his voice down. He didn't want Marluxia to hear. Larxene glanced at the pink haired man and lowered her voice to match.

"The horses are weird." Roxas and Demyx both blinked at her. They knew nothing about horses. "They're _perfect._ I'm not a show queen or anything but I have a pretty good eye and these are nice horses. All the males are stallions too and that's really strange." Roxas frowned at that. Three of the horses were male. "They should be trying to mate the mares but as far as I can tell they're not. No sign of any of them being pregnant and no sign of any foals recently, but they're all kept together."

"They're on birth control." Roxas joked and Larxene looked startled. She'd never heard of birth control for horses but that might explain it.

"Dunno… I'll have to look that up when we're in the computer lab." She said and Roxas nodded. This place had internet access although the computers had tight restrictions on where they could and couldn't go. They were really hard to outwit too. Sometimes it blocked legitimate sites but a teacher could fix that easily. Although Roxas still wondered how… when he'd asked Saix to let him onto a fashion website he'd just snarled something at the computer and it had suddenly worked.

Saix was another weird thing, in Roxas' opinion. He was the lay minister and Roxas thought he was just as dangerous as Axel. But he was passionate about the Catholic faith and could give pretty inspiring sermons. But sometimes, when the light was just so, Roxas almost thought his eyes were gold and not quite human. Roxas glanced at Marluxia as they carried out the plates and almost dropped them. Then he blinked and the brief image of what he'd seen was gone.

"Roxas? You having a spasm?" Roxas winced as Larxene poked him in the back with a butter knife and kept moving. Glancing back at Marluxia he felt reassured. He was just a pink haired man in black shorts and a black tee. There were no flowers growing in his hair.

He must have imagined it.

* * *

"Shit I like that kid." Axel murmured to himself as he watched Roxas eat. They were at opposite ends of the table so he couldn't talk to the blonde, but he got to speak to him plenty of times throughout the day. Axel suspected that Roxas was seeking him out. He knew he was seeking out the blonde. He just felt a connection there and Roxas was also a sexy little thing. Not to mention athletic and smart. Yum.

Axel smiled to himself. Marluxia had heard every word of their little discussion and he was pleased they'd noticed the horses. There were spells and glamours on them that kept the mares out of heat and retarded the hormones in the stallions a bit. Along with training the stallions were all very well mannered, didn't try to breed and tolerated each other perfectly well. The mares gave them more problems, really. They'd had to lay a repulsion spell on the wimpiest mare to keep an aggressive mare from harassing her.

There were spells and glamours everywhere in the facility. Axel reflected on it a moment as he glanced over the other children. They had no idea their minds were being wrapped in cotton candy fuzz and gradually being rewired. In most aspects it was a good thing. After a year of the glamour softly whispering that they didn't need drugs and didn't want them, the behavior changes were largely permanent. It was a pity the population as a whole couldn't use that technique. Drug rehabilitation would have been a cinch.

Violence and sexual attractions were harder. But the glamours along with therapy from Saix and Xemnas could usually work through childhood problems. Larxene was making good progress towards getting past her hatred for her father, for instance. Sexual attractions were the hardest to straighten out because they had to take care to do no harm. If someone was truly gay, convincing them to be straight was doing more harm than good. So the glamours worked with what was there. If there was any attraction to the opposite sex it was enhanced, and if there was nothing the glamours and counseling focused on helping the child cope and be discreet. And if the parents found out, well, the one area they didn't guarantee perfection was sex. It said so in the fine print.

"Which kid? Demyx?" Xion asked, uninterested. Axel snorted at her and she glanced up at him.

"Hardly! Roxas." Xion glanced over, shrugged and pulled a chunk of lamb off her skewer.

"He's alright I suppose." Axel rolled his eyes and wondered, not for the first time, if Xion was a muff diver. But she claimed not. "Not my type."

"What is your type? Tits?" Axel asked, a touch nastily. Xion slapped him upside the head, making him wince and Xigbar glance over curiously.

"Big and muscular, so you know." She snapped as Axel rubbed his head. Axel suddenly grinned.

"Why, you should take up with Xaldin then. He'd be right up your ally." There was a silence and Axel suddenly caught the unguarded look on her face. "Holy shit, you ARE?" Axel wasn't sure whether to laugh or puke. He'd always thought of Xaldin as rather ugly. Although he did have the kind of rough edged face that could be handsome to a woman, he supposed. Or maybe some men, but not Axel. Xaldin was definitely not his type.

"Oh shut up. He's got good points." Axel began to laugh as Xion glowered then gave him a slow, insinuating grin. "Or rather, one good point. A big, hard, loooong – "

"Oh god stop! You're killing me here." Axel wheezed, wiping away tears. "And everyone else is listening." Xion glanced around and everyone looked back at their plates except for Xaldin. He was looking smug. The children weren't listening… or rather, they were being gently encouraged not to listen to their elders. Judging from the look on Roxas' face it wasn't working. Axel gave him a wink and the blonde blinked.

"Stop teasing him." Xion said with a laugh. "Or put him out of his misery." Axel lifted an eyebrow at her and she smiled, inclining her head towards Roxas. "Everyone can see he wants you more than a fat kid wants cake."

"Hmm." Axel watched Roxas a moment and managed to catch the blonde taking a sidelong glance at him. Green eyes met blue and he felt that connection again. It was like they were joined at some fundamental level. Could they be soul mates?

Before he'd come to this St. Jude's Axel would have laughed at the very idea. Now he knew better. A lot of things that sounded silly had a basis in truth. Still, it was far too early to say. Axel finally broke the moment, looking down at his plate and taking a bite of the rice.

No matter what, nothing was going to happen between them until Roxas discovered the Summerland.


	3. Axel's Garden

"I love this place." Axel murmured to himself as he walked through the cold streets.

Only Xion had been allowed to see this place, and that only once. But Axel thought her reaction had been typical of what everyone would think if they saw it. She'd been very puzzled about why his mind would choose such an uninviting place to be his garden. Her own garden was a beach on a tropical island, empty yet full of life.

Every fey had a garden. A private place in the Summerland that embodied everything they were and everything they would ever be. Impossible to reach except through invitation, extending that invitation was the most private and intimate thing a fey could do. He and Xion had been lovers and he'd wondered if it could last, so he'd decided to show her his garden. She'd felt no connection to it and couldn't understand what he liked about it. Axel had known then that it wouldn't last, but they'd stayed friends and he didn't regret sharing his private place with her.

Not many people would see the attraction. Axel's garden was a cityscape full of cold, forbidding buildings and towers. It was raining their, a soft, slow rain. A farmer's rain that would soak the earth and help the crops. Axel liked that kind of rain. He liked the way it hit the black cloak he wore here, liked the rhythm it made on the roofs of the buildings. And he liked the way it sizzled when he lifted his hand and called his heat, letting the raindrops burn as they hit his skin.

Walking through the city was like meditation for him. He walked though the streets until he found a building with a light on. Axel smiled to himself. The city was his mind, so it always knew when he was ready. Stepping into the building Axel stripped off his black cloak and hung it on a coat rack. Taking a deep breath he glanced around, smiling as he smelled hot chocolate.

The rooms in the city always surprised him a little. This one was no exception. There was a staircase leading upstairs but he wasn't interested in that. If he decided to go up there he would find only empty rooms. The furnishings in the living room were more than enough to interest him. A large, dark brown couch with mustard green pillows was inviting and there was a bright blue snuggie draped over one side. A cup of hot chocolate was steaming invitingly on a low slung little table and a fire was popping in a large brick fireplace. Axel laughed and picked up the snuggie, sliding it on and enjoying the warmth. It didn't bother him but the city was always a little chilly. Settling down on the sofa, he picked up the hot chocolate and sipped it as he listened to the fire popping and the rain drumming against the building.

"There's nothing more comforting than hot chocolate and a big fire on a cold, rainy day." Axel murmured to himself as he enjoyed himself. Time was highly variable in the Summerland but he wasn't worried about that. In gardens, usually no time passed in the real world. And if by some bizarre mischance he was taking too long someone would notice and fetch him. Xion most likely since she knew the way to his garden.

Axel suddenly paused in his drinking, frowning. Something had just changed. Setting down the mug he pulled off the snuggie and quickly put back on his cloak. He needed to investigate this immediately. Gardens were not supposed to change abruptly and the Summerland was full of perils.

Yet when Axel found what had changed he was merely confused. His city had melted into mist on the edges before. Now it was bordered by something else on one side.

"The sea?" Axel gazed over the dark water. It didn't feel threatening to him and he dipped a gloved hand into the still waters. It was cold yet not unpleasant on the skin. What did this mean? "Hm." Restless and uncomfortable for the first time in his garden, Axel began to walk the streets again, searching for anything out of place.

Something was here. He could feel it.

* * *

"Where am I?" Roxas couldn't quite understand what had happened.

He'd been dozing off and thinking about Axel. The way the red haired man smiled, the way his green eyes shone. And somehow he'd imagined Axel wearing a floor length black coat and walking through the rain. Little flashes of red spikes sometimes showed against the black fabric as well as pale skin and Roxas had desperately wanted to touch him. Wanted to catch the taller man and pull him against him.

Then in his dream Axel had begun to walk away, indifferent and unaware of his regard. Roxas had desperately tried to follow and suddenly something had just _clicked._ And his dream had taken a surprisingly real turn.

"Why am I wearing this?" Roxas looked down at his arms. He was wearing a cloak that matched the one he'd seen on Axel and he was really rather grateful for it. This place was cool and wet but the coat was keeping him snug and warm. Still, he couldn't remember putting it on.

He couldn't remember ever seeing a place like this either. Roxas began walking although he didn't know where he was going and found himself getting more and more disturbed by how empty the city was. It was like a ghost town. Yet, there were lights on in many of the buildings. What would he find if he went inside? Did he want to find out?

Grimacing at himself Roxas walked purposefully up to one of the doors and opened it. Ready for anything he stepped inside and was almost disappointed to find nothing out of the ordinary. No blood, guts or pyramid heads from Silent Hill. Just a room that reminded him of his aunt's house, with a pretty oriental rug, wooden furniture and a picture of Elvis on the wall.

Although the steaming cup of coffee waiting for him was weird. Roxas found himself reaching towards it without a thought and pulled his hand back, balling it into a fist. Who had put that there? What if it was poisoned? He somehow didn't think it was but this was all too confusing. Roxas glanced at the picture for a moment and when he looked back the coffee was gone. Going pale Roxas backed away, looking around sharply. Something was here with him!

Backing out of the house he bumped into something and screamed.

"Woah, hey!" Roxas whirled, his heart in his throat and looked up into surprised green eyes. "Roxas? What are you doing here?"

"Axel?" Suddenly utterly relieved, Roxas gripped the redhead's arm. He looked just like Roxas had imagined him in the dream but he was solid and warm under his hands. "Where am I? What's going on?" Axel was tempted to laugh but could hear the undertone of fear in Roxas' voice. So instead he gently soothed the boy, pulling him back into the house and pulling back the hood of his cloak.

"Don't worry. This is a safe place." Axel soothed him as he pushed back his own hood. "First, tell me how you got here?" This shouldn't have been possible. Entering a garden was supposed to be by invitation only. But the Summerland was full of all kinds of strange possibilities.

"I – I don't know. I had a dream about you and I wanted to be with you." Roxas blushed faintly as Axel smiled. It was such a warm smile. "Now tell me what's going on!" Roxas didn't want to be distracted from that. This place was bizarre. Axel nodded and gently tugged him over to the table and chairs. This room was furnished more like a dining room than a living room, unlike the last one he'd been in. Roxas sat without prompting and Axel sat across from him, glancing at the table.

"Would you like hot chocolate? Or something else?" Axel asked and Roxas blinked, remembering the mug that had been waiting for him when he came in.

"Uh, coffee please." Axel nodded and the drinks suddenly appeared on the table. "Ah! How did you do that?"

"One thing at a time Roxas." Axel said mildly as he sipped his drink. "I'll explain everything. Just let me figure out where to start." Roxas took a deep breath and then drank a bit of coffee, giving Axel a bit of time to think. He wasn't usually the person to handle orientation but he wasn't about to let Saix or Xemnas into his garden, so it was up to him. "Okay. You've noticed that St. Jude's camp is a little odd?" Roxas nodded and Axel smiled briefly. "That's because we really don't care at all about rehabilitating troubled kids. We do it, mind you, but that's just so people don't complain. What this camp is really for is to awaken the fey powers of fey blood children."

"Say what? What's a fey?" Axel sighed to himself. This was going to take longer than he'd hoped. It wasn't really a surprise though. A lot of the children had no idea of their heritage.

"Fey or fae… the faerie folk, Roxas. Elves." Roxas looked at him like he was insane and Axel grinned. "They're not the twinkly kind though. We're talking old style elves. Everything from nursery boggles to the Daoine Sidhe. You're a half-breed, descended from some fae fucking with humans, literally. So are all the kids at the camp but most of them are too human to ever make it this far." Axel paused, looking into Roxas face to see how the blonde was handling this. Roxas swallowed hard.

"Okay." He didn't know what to think. Elves? Fae? Was Axel serious? But he certainly seemed to be and it wasn't every day you ended up in an empty city. "So why are you doing this?" Why were they so keen on awakening the powers of random kids? Axel sighed, looking into his hot chocolate.

"Well, to explain that I should probably start with how the fey went extinct." Roxas blinked at that. "There's a few remaining fey but mostly nursery boggles. They're less vulnerable to cold iron. See, fey need to live near ley line junctions. In the far off past they defended those areas from humans. However, then we discovered God, iron and fire. It took a long time but that pretty much spelled the end of the fae." Axel sipped his drink thoughtfully. "Humans are attracted to ley line junctions too. Not sure why, some kind of instinct. They tend to build cities on them and all the iron in the real world makes it impossible for the fey to live there. They tried to fight at first, but finally couldn't. Sure, fey are vastly more powerful than humans but there never was that many of them. Even at fifty to one casualty rate, that was a losing proposition for the fey."

"Now, before it was over the Unseelie court decided to face reality. They had always been full of half-breeds anyway, but most of the half-fae who joined them quickly lost their souls and were just as vulnerable to iron and holy power as regular fey." Axel explained as Roxas frowned and drank his coffee. He wasn't sure he was buying any of this. "So they decided to start breeding for a hybrid that could survive the cold iron and keep up the traditions of the fae. The Seelie court didn't like that and they were already fighting over the few pure areas left. It devolved into war."

"Isn't that really stupid? Fighting each other when the humans were pressing them?" Roxas couldn't think of anything more guaranteed to ensure the fae's extinction. Axel shrugged.

"Yeah, but according to the records they hated each other anyway. It didn't take much. Anyway, when it all shook out most of the Unseelie and Seelie courts were dead. The few remainders of the Unseelie tried to pick up the breeding idea while the Seelie ones vanished to various places. A few of them are still around, living on weak junctions, and they'll kill us as soon as look at us. Keep that in mind." Roxas swallowed at that and Axel tapped his mug thoughtfully. "The remaining Unseelie had completely lost track of the kids already produced and there were plenty of other half-breed bloodlines anyway. They've been screwing with humans forever, the fuckers. Weakened as they were they only managed to do a bit of teaching before they finally died. Xemnas has most of the traditions and he's teaching the rest of us. Now that you've found the Summerland, he'll be teaching you too."

"But how do you make sure all the kids that come here have this fae blood?" Roxas blushed as Axel gave him a sardonic look. "Oh. Magic?"

"Right. Magic is how we fix their problems too. Glamours can convince you to do almost anything, if they have a lot of time to work on you." Axel caught Roxas worried look and smiled. "Don't worry. Real fae children resist the glamours. That's how we knew you had the power. Larxene and Demyx have it too, but you can't tell them anything. They have to find the way on their own. Zexion already has."

"Oh." That explained a bit about the purple haired boy. Roxas and the others had assumed he was spending so much time with Vexen because he was the teacher's pet. Maybe not. "This is… pretty hard to accept." He said as tactfully as he could and Axel grinned.

"As hard as an empty city where things appear and vanish all the time?" Axel's voice dropped to a warm, velvety tone as he rested a hand on Roxas' wrist. Roxas shivered as he felt a warm attraction. "It's not a dream Roxas. I don't know how you did it, but you've found my garden."

"Garden?" Roxas glanced out the window. He couldn't think of anything less like a garden then this cityscape. Axel laughed softly and Roxas blinked as he found the redhead was suddenly right beside him, leaning down and speaking in his ear.

"Gardens are private places, Roxas. All fae have one, little corners of the Summerland. But they're supposed to be completely inaccessible except by invitation. This should have been impossible and if it were anyone but you, I'd be so pissed… but I'm glad you're here." Axel gently touched his cheek and Roxas felt like his heart might seize. The redhead was so sexy and so close. His hand felt hot and Roxas reached up to touch him, stroking back a bit of that brilliant red hair. "C'mon." Roxas went willingly as Axel pulled him up then slid an arm around his waist, taking him up the stairs. Were they really going to…? Axel opened a door to a room and for just a moment it was empty. Then there was a bed.

"Axel, you're going a little fast." Roxas managed to mutter as the redhead pressed him against the wall and began exploring his throat. Axel paused for a moment, laughter in his green eyes.

"Fast? I'm not the one who's been staring at my ass for weeks." Roxas blushed brightly but it was nothing but the truth. He HAD been spending a lot of time looking at Axel. "And you found my garden Roxas. I don't know what that means but it HAS to mean something." Axel was certain of that. He'd never heard of anyone finding a garden uninvited before.

_Why not?_ Roxas thought as Axel began exploring him again. He'd been meaning to corrupt this Christian camp anyway, even if this wasn't going the way he'd planned. Although he was going to have to rethink those plans now. Fey? He completely lost his train of thought as Axel began pulling off his shirt. Roxas shrugged out of the fabric and began working Axel out of his clothes. The same low rise jeans and tee he'd met the redhead in, they came off easily. Roxas was vaguely surprised to see he wasn't wearing underwear. Although that made it easy to see…

"Um, wow." Roxas was actually a little intimidated. Axel was _big,_ bigger than Hayner. Axel grinned as he easily guessed what Roxas was thinking.

"Don't worry about it. We're tougher than humans anyway." Roxas opened his mouth to say that he'd never noticed being tougher but found his lips claimed by the sexy redhead. The kiss was deep and passionate and ignited a desire in him stronger than any he'd felt before. But then, he'd usually been high on marijuana before he did something like this. "And you could top me." Axel breathed in his ear and Roxas blinked.

"Really?" Roxas had always found himself in the bitch position although he hadn't been too happy with it sometimes. Other times he'd loved it. But he hadn't expected Axel to offer anything else. "I – might like to try that. But not today." Today he really did want to feel Axel on him, inside him. It might hurt a little but he was sure Axel could find his prostate.

"Alrighty then." Axel murmured before pulling him over to the bed. They tumbled onto the silken sheets and Roxas moaned softly as warm, wet hands found his member. Where had Axel gotten the lube? Then the thought vanished as slick fingers wrapped around him and began to slowly stroke him up and down, giving gentle squeezes along the way. As Axel teased him with one hand he slipped the other behind and began to gently open Roxas up. The blonde winced at the feeling then relaxed, letting Axel prepare him. He'd done this plenty of times before, he knew how to do it. "Mmm, Roxas." Axel whispered and Roxas met his eyes. It was all so intense and intimate it was almost frightening. How could Axel do this to him?

Thought went completely out the window as Axel suddenly thrust his hips against them, sliding their erections together. Roxas made a sharp gasp followed by a mewl of pleasure at the sweet, smooth friction. He wasn't a virgin but it just felt so _good._ He was almost unaware of Axel adding a second finger, and then a third. But then a new jolt of pleasure ran through him as Axel found his prostate.

"Ah!" Roxas jerked up, rubbing against Axel even more and making the redhead groan. Axel kept at it though, making sure the smaller blonde was loose enough. He didn't want to hurt Roxas. But his body had needs and he finally pulled his hand away before positioning himself.

"Oh god Roxas!" Axel gasped, eyes half-closed as he savored the tight heat around him as he slowly, ever so slowly pushed inside. Roxas felt _wonderful._ Roxas was panting and despite all he'd done to prepare him there were tears in his eyes. "Sh – shit." Axel held still as Roxas adjusted, trying to accept the older boy inside him. Finally the blonde nodded and Axel began to move.

"Axel!" Roxas moaned the redhead's name, sliding his hand through red spikes as Axel lowered his head and found his nipples, teasing one and then the other. Every thrust was hitting him in just the right spot, filling him so full it just felt amazing. Roxas wrapped a leg around Axel's waist, urging him on as he tugged on Axel's hair, pulling him up for a kiss. The redhead obliged and Roxas gasped into his mouth as the rhythm speeded up. He didn't think he could take much more of this, it was just so intense – "AH!" Roxas suddenly spasmed as his orgasm hit him, making him clench tightly around the redhead. Axel gasped in pure pleasure and pounded into him a moment longer before stiffening and releasing in a rush of pleasure.

They lay together for a moment, basking in the afterglow and Roxas met Axel's eyes again. He felt a nervous flutter at the tenderness there. Was Axel really that into him? But they'd only known each other for maybe a month. It was too soon to be sure of anything. Axel sighed and pulled away, using a tiny bit of magic to clean them both up. Roxas blinked as he felt the sticky fluid on his chest and belly vanish.

"I wouldn't have imagined there would be spells for making cum disappear." He murmured softly and Axel chuckled, kissing his cheek as he lay down beside him.

"There's a spell for everything, Roxy." Roxas thought about taking exception to that nick name but found he was just too tired. And Axel's arm felt good around him. "Sleep. You'll be back in your bed tomorrow."

"I will?" Roxas yawned and decided to trust Axel, curling up against him and dozing off. The redhead was so warm and the sound of the rain was so soothing. Axel smiled, watching his blonde lover sleep. Roxas looked like an angel and he gently stroked a bit of hair into place before cradling the blonde to his chest.

This was the beginning of something special. Axel could feel it.


	4. The Summerland

The next day Roxas woke up in his own bed and at first he thought it was all a dream. He wasn't aching or tired at all like he would have expected after sex. Getting dressed he went to go help make breakfast. It was Namine on breakfast duty for today and for a moment Roxas failed to notice the change in her. Then he stopped and stared until Larxene poked him in the back.

"What's wrong with you? Move it Roxas!" She sounded peevish and Roxas immediately moved to the side, still staring at Namine. Her ears were long, pointed and lightly furred. The fur was a rich golden color and looked soft as silk. There was a white starburst on her forehead and a tiny unicorn horn growing from the centre of it. She saw him looking and smiled. Roxas shook himself and went to work on the pancakes.

His shock grew deeper as he helped Larxene and Demyx bring out the pancakes. All the teachers except for Axel and Luxord had changed. Marluxia really had flowers growing in his hair. Vexen had tiny ice crystals on his face and in his hair and there were always a few snowflakes dancing around him. Xigbar looked like he was part horse. His legs were oddly shaped and ended in cloven hooves while his ears were shaped furry and floppy like a horses. Xaldin had pointed ears, claws on his fingers and his eyes had changed from dark blue to an alien purple. Lexaeus had little stones embedded in his skin around his hairline and Saix had pointed ears, golden eyes and fangs that showed as he smiled at Roxas.

That smile jolted him out of his revere and Roxas took his seat, his face feeling hot. What was he getting into here? But then Axel entered the room and he forgot about it as he gazed at the redhead. Axel met his gaze and smiled slowly before blowing him a kiss. That made Roxas blush and Zexion gave him a funny look. Roxas noticed the other boy's eyes were silvery now and his ears were beginning to point. But then he ignored Zexion in favor of watching Axel. Why didn't the redhead look any different? And Luxord too for that matter.

"So. You are one of us now." Vexen said to him in science class and Roxas swallowed, glancing around at the others. "They hear nothing." There was a derisive curl to Vexen's lips that Roxas didn't like. Still…

"I – I suppose I am. I'm not sure what it entails yet." He admitted and Vexen nodded, ice green eyes fixed on Roxas'. Roxas vaguely noticed that the ice cold blonde was attractive now, in a cool and forbidding sort of way. Yet except for the ice Vexen hadn't changed substantially. That was strange.

"For now, all you need to worry about is mastering your abilities. Your lessons will take place at night." At Roxas alarmed look Vexen smiled. "You'll have enough time to sleep. And if not, we run this school. You can always be excused from lessons." Vexen gestured to Zexion. "Zexion. You will partner with Roxas for lab tonight. Tell him a bit about the Summerland while you work." Zexion nodded and Roxas thought he caught a hint of longing in the other boys' expression before they went back to work. Was Zexion into Vexen? Just yesterday he'd have thought it was ludicrous. It didn't seem that way anymore.

A bit later they were dissecting a frog in biology and Roxas listened, fascinated, as Zexion told him a bit about the Summerland.

"You find it by stepping sideways into the sun. That's how they describe it and it fits. Apparently the Summerland is a dream world. All the dreams and nightmares of humanity reside there. When you go directly to your garden there's no danger but if you travel anywhere else there's a lot of things lurking. Nightmares mostly but sometimes other fey and strange creatures." Zexion grimaced at the smell of formaldehyde as they extracted a tiny frog heart. "Most of them are weak to cold iron and crosses, though. Because of what we are we can bring both into the Summerland."

"Crosses? I thought that was vampires." Roxas was a bit vague on the mythology involved but he wasn't sure about crosses hurting elves. Zexion smiled and shook his head.

"Crosses hurt anything that's imbued with darkness, like vampires, or anything that's soulless. Real fae have no souls. They're not evil exactly… something that doesn't have a soul can't be evil. They're just completely amoral and dangerous as an earthquake. The nightmares and dream creatures are soulless too so crosses work on them. Provided you have faith." Roxas blinked and suddenly understood why all the teachers seemed to take the Catholic faith so seriously. No wonder! They had graphic proof of God's power. It made Roxas feel a little uneasy. He'd never been very religious before he came here. Would he need to be now? Zexion seemed to sense what he was thinking and smiled. "Don't worry too much Roxas. They won't be letting us wander around for years."

"Years? What about my parents?" Roxas asked. Zexion paused with a frown.

"I'm not sure actually." He sounded a bit uneasy. "They must have some plan in mind though. Xion, Marluxia and Xaldin were all students."

"Not Axel?" That was surprising. Axel was so young… or was he? Maybe his age was deceptive. Roxas frowned at that. He wanted Axel to be only a bit older. Zexion shook his head.

"Not Axel. I asked Xion and she said he was here before she was and Axel mentioned something about helping to build the place. So he must have been with Xemnas since the start. Something wrong?" Zexion asked and Roxas shook his head as they began cleaning the tools and putting them away.

"Not really. I just – really like Axel. Especially now that I found his garden." Roxas said and missed the sharp look Marluxia gave him. Zexion was certainly surprised by the reply.

"You found _Axel's_ garden? Not your own?" Roxas nodded and Zexion blinked slowly. "Vexen told me everyone finds their own garden first. I wonder if anyone has ever found someone else's before?"

"No, they haven't." The two boys started guiltily as Marluxia spoke. Roxas drew a short breath as he met the taller man's eyes. They were dark green and almost glittered in the light. "You're both behind. Go to next class and I'll take care of that." Roxas blinked as he realized the pink haired man was right. They both rushed out and managed to get changed into their gym clothes just in time for Axel's class.

"You both are going to be having fun today!" Axel smiled devilishly and Roxas felt his heart skip a beat. The redhead was just so _handsome._ "Now that you're going to be one of us Roxas, it's time for a serious workout." Oh. Crap. That didn't sound good.

And it wasn't. Axel got the other kids to practicing and began really teaching Roxas and Zexion the basics of swordplay. Serious swordplay that had no rules. In fact, Axel was encouraging them to do things that Roxas was sure would get them immediately barred from a tournament. But then, the wooden blades they were using were nothing like fencing foils. Then he went back to unarmed combat. Roxas was panting and sore by the time they were done and to his annoyance, Zexion wasn't half as winded. But then, the other boy had probably been learning like this for some time.

"Sorry to go so hard on you Roxas." Zexion looked stunned as Axel spoke to him softly. Roxas swallowed as he met warm green eyes. "But you have to be ready for the Summerland. It's great but it has no patience for sissies."

"It's okay Axel." Roxas managed to dredge up a smile for him, despite his exhaustion. "Zexion told me. I'd rather not get eaten." Axel laughed and slapped his shoulder.

"Yeah, that would suck. Well, see you later." Axel's smile was full of promises and Roxas felt a flutter in his stomach. He was smiling as he helped much out the horse stalls that night. Not even the smell of horse dung could completely wipe the smile off his face.

Later that night Axel came to get him to join them in the Summerland and Roxas had thought of a very important question.

"Axel? Do I have any choice in the matter here?" Axel gave him a questioning look and Roxas swallowed. "If I decide I don't want to be here, I want to be a normal human again, can I do that?"

"Oh. Not really." Axel said reluctantly. "Xemnas won't let you go entirely now. Although if you ever had a terrible falling out here, he might trade you to another enclave. We're not the only group doing this, the other major one has claimed the ruins of the Seelie court." Axel paused for a moment as he pulled on his leather coat and offered one to Roxas. Roxas pulled it on, finding it was a perfect fit, just like the coat he'd worn in Axel's garden. "But would you really want to go back to that? After you've seen the Summerland?"

"…No." Roxas had to admit. Axel's garden had been odd but something about it had tugged on his heartstrings and made him feel complete in a way he'd never imagined. Axel took his hand and Roxas felt a weird moment of transition and then bright light. His mind flashed back to what Zexion had said. It really _was _like stepping sideways into the sun. "Oh!" Roxas looked around, trying to find his balance as he realized they were standing in the middle of a field of corn. It rustled slowly in the wind and Axel grumbled something as Roxas looked at him questioningly.

"I was a bit off in that jump. Not used to taking someone with me. C'mon, this way." Axel walked through the corn, unconcerned with trampling it. It seemed to spring back immediately anyway. Roxas couldn't see where they were going, the corn was easily over his head, but Axel seemed to know. Which was good since Roxas wasn't sure even he was seeing too much. This corn was _tall._ "Here." They broke out of the corn and Roxas felt a moment of confusion. There was nothing here but a circle of stones and mushrooms. "It's a gate to the Unseelie court. Back in the day, fey who were traveling or who didn't want to live at the court would use these stones to go back and forth. There's a minor ley line junction here so likely some fey did live here. Sometimes we get squatters but we clear them out. This is our place."

"Oh. So where is the Unseelie court actually located?" Roxas was curious about that. From what Axel had said it had to be a big city. The redhead grinned as they stepped up to the stones.

"Midgar. We thought about moving our school to there but it's a lot easier to get the kids caught in our spells when they're a bit isolated. OK, brace yourself, this doesn't feel so great." Roxas opened his mouth to ask what that meant and got a graphic demonstration before he could frame the words. Going through the fairy circle felt like falling through darkness. It was almost mind-bendingly oppressive and Roxas could smell perfume and taste bitter honey. Then reality returned and Roxas shuddered convulsively. "Yeah… sorry. That really doesn't get better. But we're here now." Roxas looked around curiously.

The Unseelie court was special but not in a good way. As Axel took him through the building Roxas could tell it had seen better days. Black marble, veined with green was everywhere but it was chipped and damaged. Sticky, unpleasant looking vines grew unrestrained and were forcing apart the stonework. Silver and brasswork were unpolished and corroding from lack of care and Roxas noticed the ceiling was leaking in spots. The whole place looked like it had been abandoned for hundreds of years and Roxas reflected uneasily that that might in fact be the case.

"This place used to hold hundreds of fae, maybe even a thousand." Axel said casually as they walked down a stair. Unlike most of the building it was simple wood but Roxas noticed it looked brand new. "There's only a dozen or so of us, so we can't keep it up, even with the occasional help the other clans give. We've maintained the structural integrity of the core parts we use the rest is slowly coming down. So don't wander off, got it memorized? Or we might find you with a caved in head from a piece of masonry. That happened to my half-sister. Xemnas was pissed." Axel didn't seem to care and Roxas wondered how long it had been. And that reminded him of some questions he had for Axel.

"Axel? Um… how old are you? And why don't you and Luxord look different?" Axel paused a moment, then stopped entirely, leaning against a wall and crossing his arms as he thought for a moment. For a moment he was tempted to just skirt around the question but if Roxas was going to be with them he might as well know.

"Well, it's like this. I'm sixty-three." Roxas gaped at him and Axel grinned. "But if I don't get hit by a bus I'll probably outlive you. I'm from an old bloodline." Axel scratched his head for a moment. "Fae will fuck with _anything_ Roxas. And they sometimes liked to make some human families their long term servants. My family was one of those. Like is attracted to like and in our time with the fae, we got a lot of their other servants and mixed in those bloodlines too. And this started thousands of years ago. Generations of us were born and lived in the Summerland and time is warped here. Xemnas says we have celestial and demonic blood as well as a shitload of fey. Not to mention some stuff he can't recognize at all. Most of my family wasn't interested in helping him but me and my sis were adults. Xemnas talked us into coming and helping with his project, so here I am."

"Oh. You have a big family? And Luxord is the same?" Axel grinned and nodded.

"Well over a hundred of us. And yeah, Luxord is from another old family. They're not as mongrel as mine, mostly human and fey but still powerful. We all get our powers at an early age and it doesn't change us, that's why we look human. The first time I went to the Summerland I was, mmm, three."

"Oh, I see." Roxas felt almost sad for a moment. He couldn't imagine having a family that big. Although that would include a lot of very distant relatives. Still. "Axel, where do you think my fey blood came from?" Roxas wondered now if his father was really his father. He and his mother both seemed completely ordinary and Roxas knew he wasn't adopted. Axel frowned faintly and stepped over, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Roxas… real fey are assholes. It comes with not having souls. They could have glamoured your mom, or even your grandma. Or it could have just been rape. It doesn't really matter. I'm just glad you're here." Roxas met Axel's eyes and saw the sincerity there. Smiling faintly, he took the redhead's hand and they walked to the throne room. Axel was right. It didn't really matter. All that mattered was the here and now.

Roxas found the throne room vaguely impressive. It clearly wasn't what it had been but a lot of care had gone into restoring the marble and silver inlays. The vast area was achingly empty with only his teachers and Zexion in it, but they were doing their best to fill it with laughter and song. And the vast spaces gave a lot of room for dancing. Roxas was sure no one had danced in this room back when a thousand fey had lived in the Unseelie court but now Namine and Marluxia were dancing slowly across the stone floor. Roxas paused to look at a tapestry and wished he hadn't. It showed a horrific monster eating something that looked suspiciously human. Xion and Luxord were crooning a slow, ominous song and Roxas blinked as he caught the words.

_Crouched upon a rock or tree,_

_It eats either you or me._

_It needs neither knife nor bowl,_

_Drinks your blood out of your skull._

_Aire! Gruagach! Aire! Gruagach!_

_Eyes to flame a fearful red,_

_Claws to rip a body dead._

_Teeth to strip your white bones bare,_

_They knit mittens from your hair._

_Aire! Gruagach! Aire! Gruagach!_

_They will tan your hide for shoes,_

_Boil your fat to grease their stews._

_Singing shanties to your groans,_

_Playing pipes of hollowed bones._

_Run, hide, stay inside! Listen unto me!_

_Dark sport is the court of the Unseelie._

_I have saved these words for last,_

_Learn them well and hold them fast._

_Never venture from your bed,_

_Else your very soul is dead!_

Roxas blinked as he felt Axel tugging on his arm and looked up into laughing eyes.

"Don't let it get to you. This isn't the real Unseelie court, just a bunch of wannabees." There was a laugh from the others and Roxas was relieved to see no one was taking offense to Axel's bluntness.

"Not even that. We know what we are and that is not true fey." A smooth voice spoke and Roxas looked towards the throne. He'd seen Xemnas before but only at a distance. The white haired man was truly impressive in that black marble throne, his ears delicately pointed and his eyes as deep and dark as the sea. "But that is why we are alive and they are dead. Welcome Roxas. We are pleased to welcome you in the Court of the Reborn."

"Thank you." Roxas said sincerely. "I'm glad to be here." He really felt that way. The Summerland resonated with him in a way the real world never had. Roxas wondered for a moment if this was what he'd been searching for in drugs and other people. Perhaps. It felt like it might be true. He and Axel got something to eat and drink and Roxas enjoyed the little macroon cookies and the sweet nectar. He smiled as he felt a warm arm around his shoulders.

"Care to dance?" Axel's breath was warm in his ear and Roxas laughed, taking his hands.

"I'd love to." And they danced the night away in the, basking in the glow of the ley lines and the ambience of the Summerland.

The cold iron of Midgar bothered them not at all.


	5. Choose Your Path

Axel gazed over his garden with a vague feeling of confusion.

The city was changing. In and of itself, that wasn't really unusual. It always changed a bit according to his moods and sometimes it went through massive changes when Axel or his circumstances were changing. It was meant to comfort him and represent him, after all. No garden was ever perfectly static.

Still, these were massive changes and Axel couldn't think of a real reason for it except for Roxas finding his garden. There was a clock tower now, in the centre of the city. It had replaced the great skyscraper that had been there before. There was also a train station on one side. For now the rest of the city was mostly unchanged but Axel had noticed some new signs. The greatest change, though, was the time of day. Before his city had always existed in perpetual twilight but now a dim light spread from one end of the horizon, as if the sun was just finishing setting. That was a huge change.

But it wasn't unpleasant. Axel walked slowly through his city and enjoyed the rain. Then he paused as he heard footsteps that weren't his own.

"Roxas?" Axel turned and smiled as he saw the other boy. All he could see of him was pale lips and chin beneath the hood of his coat. "Welcome back." By all rights he should have been offended by this wanton intrusion into his garden, but he wasn't. How could he be? This was Roxas.

"I'm glad to be back." Roxas turned to gaze over the garden curiously. "It's changed. I think I like it better now. It was a bit too dark before." It had been nice but not quite right for him. This was better. Axel's soft, throaty laugh brought his attention back to the redhead.

"Oi! Whose garden is this, yours or mine? And when will you be showing me your garden?" Axel asked brazenly. That was a very forward question but Roxas had seen his, after all. Roxas just smiled, not really understanding what that question meant to a fae.

"I don't seem to have one." He said lightly and Axel blinked. "Or at least, I can't find it. I keep coming here." That didn't trouble Roxas at all although he was sure it was unusual. Demyx and Larxene had both found their gardens and been inducted into the group. He was the only one without a garden.

"Maybe this is your garden." Axel suggested, his voice an intimate purr. Roxas shook his head with a smile, not really agreeing or disagreeing. Axel just gazed at him a moment, feeling a deep warmth in his heart. He'd never heard of fae sharing a garden before but if they could it would mean they were connected on the most intimate level. It would mean Roxas was fated to be with him. But Axel felt that way already.

"Why don't we climb the clock tower?" Roxas suggested and Axel glanced at the tall building. He wouldn't have thought of that… but that structure was the most out of place thing in his new garden. Still, he'd make room for Roxas.

"Sure, why not?" Axel took Roxas hand, smiling as they walked to the clock tower. Soon they were racing each other up the stairs and laughing. "Beat you!"

"No fair. You have such long legs." Roxas pointed out as he took a seat. The ever present rain was gone here and the sun seemed stronger. That was unnatural but it didn't bother either of them. The Summerland didn't follow natural laws. "Hm?" Roxas picked something up and Axel tilted his head. "Oh. Want some sea salt ice cream?"

"Huh? Sure." Axel took a seat beside Roxas, pulling back his hood. "I've never heard of sea salt ice cream before." He took a tentative bite and almost choked. "Salty!" He tried it again. "But good."

"Yes. I had it all the time at home, with Hayner and the others." Roxas didn't really miss them though. Or rather, he did miss them but he'd found something far too important to ever give up. The Summerland was filling his life with magic and it was impossible to go back. Roxas blinked as he felt a warm arm around his shoulders and looked up into Axel's warm green eyes. The redhead was another reason he couldn't go back although he wasn't as important as the Summerland. Nothing could be as important as the magic in his heart.

"Mmm." Axel enjoyed the ice cream and didn't comment on Roxas' friends. There was no way the blonde would ever see them again. "So. Does Xemnas think you're about ready to start your dream quest?" Axel was no specialist in fey abilities but he could sense that Roxas' powers had increased. He was learning quickly, faster than any of the others. Even if Axel hadn't felt that he could see that the blonde's ears were already pointed and beginning to fur like Namine's. That meant his blood had likely come from the Seelie court, which was curious. But that distinction had never meant much, since the Seelie court hadn't accepted half-breeds at all.

"He said it would be soon and you could go with me." Roxas said and Axel nodded, unsurprised. The usual escorts were himself, Saix and Xaldin although almost anyone could do in a pinch. "What exactly does this dream quest entail?" Roxas was vague on that. "I thought dream quests were a Native American thing." The traditions seemed a little mixed. Axel shrugged.

"That's just what we call it. Real fae didn't do this, but after the war all their weapons got scattered to hell and back. We'll be searching for a weapon that suits you and the Summerland will answer our need at some point." Axel gestured and one of his chakram appeared in a burst of fire. "Whatever weapon you get will bond to you. Real fae made new weapons and kept an armory but Lexaeus and Vexen are still trying to figure out how they made 'em. Until they get it, we scavenge."

"Ah." Roxas vaguely supposed that it would take them a long time to run out of things to scavenge. Their numbers were still tiny compared to the original fey. "It will be nice to see more of the Summerland." So far all he'd seen was the cornfield and the fairy ring, the Unseelie court and Axel's garden. He felt far more comfortable and at peace in all of them, but there was a lot left to explore. Axel just nodded. He understood Roxas' feelings but the Summerland could be very dangerous.

They sat in companionable silence for a long time, just enjoying being together in the setting sun. It was a different sort of peace than the rain, hot chocolate and fireplaces Axel usually enjoyed but it was nice. Axel looked at the bare popsicle stick and smiled as it vanished into the air. Roxas was idly tapping his against the stone as he stared out dreamily over the city.

"We should probably get back." Axel was reluctant to leave but it was time. He stood as Roxas sighed and gazed out over the city one last time before Axel stepped sideways, back into the real world.

The garden was beautiful, but an escape from reality could only last so long.

* * *

"Nnn, Axel!" Roxas bit the redhead's shoulder, tasting the hot blood as Axel pounded him into the mattress. Their love making was swift and passionate tonight and if it hadn't been for the silencing spells over the room, all the other children would have woken up.

"Roxas." Axel moaned in his ear as he speeded up, stroking his blonde lover with every thrust. "I love you." Roxas dismissed that, ignoring it as the usual love talk. They'd only known each other a month or so. The pleasure as Axel hit his prostate overwhelmed him and Roxas released with a cry, tensing and clenching around Axel. The redhead followed him a moment later, burying his face against Roxas' throat.

They lay together for a long time, comfortable and warm. Axel laced his fingers with Roxas for a moment and smiled as the younger man opened his eyes and looked at him curiously.

"I love you so much." Axel murmured and kissed Roxas again. The blonde returned the kiss but felt a flutter of fear. Yes, it was normal to profess your undying love during sex, but after? Did Axel really mean it? Roxas carefully hid his trepidation, smiling back at Axel as he slid out of bed. "I better go though." Axel wanted nothing more than to stay, but then he'd have to put on a powerful glamour in the morning to avoid having the children see him. And he wasn't the best at glamours.

"Later Axel." Roxas said softly as Axel pulled on his clothes. Axel smiled and paused to give him one last kiss before he left the room, leaving Roxas to his thoughts. Axel was going too fast for him. He liked the redhead well enough but he wasn't sure he loved him. Roxas wasn't even sure what love felt like…

But what should he do about it?

* * *

"So! Ready to get started on your dream quest?" Axel asked happily and Roxas smiled pensively. "Something wrong?"

"No. Not really. Just a little nervous." The cause of his worry was standing right beside him but he could hardly tell Axel that. He still didn't know what to do about it, if anything. He would have to think about it. But Roxas vaguely wished that Saix or Xaldin had been the one to go with him for this. Axel had requested it be him though, and Roxas couldn't contradict him without an explanation. "Ready to go?" Axel looked ready. He was wearing battered leather armor inscribed with silver runes. It looked ancient. Roxas was wearing something similar, but it was shiny black and looked brand new.

"Yep." They began to walk through the Summerland. Roxas looked around curiously as the landscape gradually began to change. It went from corn fields to grass and then to a dark forest. Axel paused at the edge of the forest and looked at Roxas. There were several trails branching out.

"What way do you want to go?" Roxas stared at him and Axel shrugged. "It's your dream quest."

"Oh." Roxas looked at the trails, trying to find a hint and saw there was three of them. One path was littered with dark stones, one was covered in leaves and the last seemed to be made of wooden slats. "Hmm." Roxas decided to go with his instincts and randomly stepped onto the leaves. They crunched satisfyingly under his feet and he and Axel began walking again.

The forest was very dark and Roxas felt unfriendly eyes on them several times. He was absolutely certain that without Axel's calm strength beside him, something would have challenged him. But nothing seemed to be willing to face the redhead and they reached more forks in the road. Once Roxas picked the way by a pretty flower and once by a purple rock. It was all so random and strange but it just felt right.

They paused under a rowan tree to eat some fairy cakes and drink some sweet nectar. The fae magic in the cakes easily revitalized them and Axel stretched, scratching himself for a moment. Roxas glanced at him.

"Does it usually take this long?" It felt like they had been walking forever. Axel shrugged, adjusting his leather armor.

"It takes as long as it takes. Dream quests are like that. Sometimes it takes a lot of searching to find what you're – wait, did you feel that?" Axel was on his feet so fast that Roxas hardly saw him move. He was quivering like a terrier on point and Roxas blinked.

"I don't – oh. I do." Roxas felt it now, a powerful tugging. It stank of desperation and death. Axel looked at him and Roxas could read nothing in his face.

"What do you want to do?" Roxas stared and realized what Axel meant. This was his choice and the redhead wasn't going to give him any guidance beyond backing him up. But Roxas knew Axel well and was dead certain he wanted to investigate, wanted to help. Axel had a kind heart.

For a moment Roxas struggled with himself. He could sense that this would be dangerous and whoever was in trouble was not one of them. There was a vaguely fey-ish smell to the summons but nothing powerful enough to be an awakened half-breed. Just a small touch of fae, maybe not enough to ever really awaken. But if he turned aside from that desperation, what would that make him? And what would Axel think?

"Let's find out what's going on." He finally said and Axel's smile made him feel warm to the tips of his toes. Although that reaction worried him again. It was just too soon for him to be in love with Axel. Wasn't it? Roxas shoved the thought aside and followed Axel as he traced the call.

It was coming from an old, disused fairy ring. But old as it was the mushrooms and rocks were still in place and there were no fey living there. Axel stepped sideways and Roxas followed him into the real world.

They both stared at the sobbing boy in front of them. He looked battered, bedraggled and bedamned. His chocolate brown hair was spiky and would probably have looked cute if it wasn't liberally splattered with mud and what looked suspiciously like blood. His clothing was torn but Roxas thought it had started the day as a school uniform. His arms were tied behind him with heavy ropes that had already bitten cruelly into his skin, raising lines of blood. The boy was whispering for help over and over again but seemed to lack the strength to stand. Roxas blinked as Axel kneeled and picked up something from beside the boy.

"What is THAT?" Roxas asked, fascinated and a little appalled as Axel bit into it, chewing thoughtfully. The boy suddenly looked up, terror flashing across his face.

"A cookie. Mmm, oatmeal and raisin. Tastes homemade too." The boy on the ground blinked, his terror lessening as Roxas stared at Axel. The redhead grinned at him. "Traditional offering to the fae is baked goods, Roxy. That's how the signal got through, lucky kid." Axel didn't think for a minute that this terrified boy had meant to come to the fairy ring and make an offering. He'd just stumbled over it, the cookie had fallen out his pocket and he'd been praying for help. "So what's going on?" Axel asked the boy as he slowly scanned the forest. The boy drew a shaking breath and seemed to suddenly decide to trust them as Roxas knelt down, pulling out a knife to cut through the ropes.

"Please help me. They're monsters… they kidnapped me and my friend…" Tears were springing up in his eyes. Axel nodded, finishing off the cookie and calling in his chakram.

"Vampires. I can smell them. They do so like to play with their food." Axel flipped out his cross. The silver caught the moonlight like a jewel and the boy burst into tears of pure relief. "Behind me kid."

The scent he'd been detecting finally entered the clearing. Axel had the feeling the vampire could easily have run down the boy… she was just enjoying a torturous little cat and mouse game. She didn't stop even for a moment when she saw them and Axel knew why. The stench of death was in his nose, and Roxas was gagging, but to her they might as well have just been humans. Vampires were cursed but really much less magical than fae.

The last thing she was expecting to face was silver. The wheels of Axel's weapon were silver banded with iron. Fae couldn't use iron but Lexaeus had added that to help against the dangers of the Summerland. For a vampire, the iron was meaningless but the silver burned like the sun. Then fire erupted and the battle was joined in earnest.

No fae feared a vampire, and Axel easily proved why. She was only a young one, confused and disoriented by the sudden change of prey into predator. She tried to flee but Axel tripped her with a flick of magic and reduced her to ash. When there was nothing but a smoldering skeleton Axel turned back to Roxas and the boy. Roxas was unaffected but the boy was staring at him, eyes wide.

"Wh – what are you?" He whispered and Axel could almost feel the click as something in the boy responded to the magic he'd just seen. Axel winced. This was a very poor way to awaken. The boy's eyes widened as he looked at Roxas and saw the furry ears.

"We're fae." Roxas was giving him a quizzical look and Axel explained. "He's awakened. Too much exposure all at once and trauma on top of it." Axel vanished his weapons and considered the boy thoughtfully. "What's your name?" Sora looked confused. Axel doubted he even knew what fae meant.

"Sora. I, my friend, they have him too." Sora said hurriedly and Axel considered it. "His name is Riku, please can you save him?" Axel looked at Roxas who sighed.

"I don't have a weapon yet Axel." He said testily and Axel smiled briefly.

"Then go back to the Summerland and look." Axel suggested impishly. Roxas gave him a look but Axel just smiled. Cursing them both, Roxas stepped sideways back into the Summerland. Sora gasped and gripped Axel's arm as he saw the blonde vanish.

"Don't worry. That's normal." Axel soothed him as Sora bit his lip. "You'll see soon." Axel was vaguely aware that Xemnas was going to be pissed. Sora didn't feel like he'd ever be strong. The truth was, if they had wanted they could have awakened all the kids at the camp. They just didn't want to. Most of them were fit to be nothing more than low level servants and Xemnas wanted them to be strong. He wouldn't be happy to have a couple weak fae bloods foisted onto them but it was too late now.

Meanwhile, Roxas stood in the fairy ring and stared down at a sword. It had been impaled in the earth with such force that he had to struggle to remove it. Beautiful silver and gold glittered off a long blade and he instinctively knew its name.

"Oathkeeper." Roxas murmured to himself and somehow knew that he'd been given this weapon in particular because of the paths he'd chosen. "…" Nodding to himself, he stepped back out of the Summerlands and into the real world.

It was time to follow through on his choices.


	6. Not the Way it was Supposed to Be

"Hm." Axel examined the house that Sora claimed the vampires were staying at. It was a mansion on the outskirts of town, nicely isolated from the rest of the town and Axel could sense the presence of vampire power. It was clearly a ward designed to frighten normal humans into staying away.

It had no effect whatsoever on the two fey. Sora was jumpy but determined and the ambience couldn't penetrate that. Axel glanced over at Roxas and smiled. His weapon glowed with the pure silver of the fae and it had the light feeling he associated with the Seelie court. It would be a perfect weapon for what they aimed to do tonight.

Axel began to hum and Roxas frowned as he listened. After a few moments of puzzling he could tell what Axel was doing. He was casting a general glamour that would obfuscate their passing, gently encouraging the vampires to look away. But the song gradually took a beat and Roxas suddenly knew the words to it. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew.

_The courage of Catherine the flames of the forge,_

_Sword of Saint Michael the blood of Saint George,_

_I take what I__'m given I follow my truth,_

_I gladly abandon the bloom of my youth,_

_I__'m the lashing that falls from the scourge!_

_They won__'t call me Mother, or Sister, or Wife,_

_They will know me or not by the strength of my life._

_I will burn with a light of my own,_

_They__'ll know me as Joan._

_They__'ll know me as Joan._

_I fight where God tells me I never ask why, _

_I__'ve bloodied the Devil with steel from on high,_

_I kill without consequence heed no Man__'s law,_

_I sift out the righteous like grain from the straw._

_I am Judgement and Heaven is nigh!_

Roxas glanced at Sora and saw that he was much less nervous. The song was counteracting the ambience as well and Roxas could feel a stirring. Yes. They would be doing God's will today. Vampires were unclean and needed to be purged. Especially ones that would kidnap and use children. They slipped into the house through an upper window. Fae magic was good with locks and they were not bound to be invited like vampires.

"Where was he being held?" Axel asked quietly and Sora swallowed, but his voice was firm when he spoke.

"The basement." Axel grunted, unhappy but unsurprised. He'd expected as much. A vampire was playing the piano on the main floor and the music was haunting. They passed him by and he didn't notice them. Axel considered killing him but they couldn't afford to tip their hand too early. No, that would be for later.

Slipping into the basement was harder. Axel's song became a bit brittle as he strained to maintain it. There were far more vampires down here. They were laughing, talking and occasionally taking sips from a boy dressed in the same school uniform as Roxas. His hair was silvery and tangled and to Axel's eyes he was barely alive. They didn't have much time. Axel's eyes narrowed as he considered how to handle it. There were at least five vampires, maybe more. They couldn't afford direct confrontation down here, where the ground was too unhallowed for his best tricks.

Pulling a stick out of his pocket he prepared to make it a basic changeling. That was one of the oldest tricks in the book and something fae had been doing for millennium. He gestured for Roxas and Sora to stay put and slipped over to Riku, using the shadows as well as his glamour to make the vampires took away. He carefully yanked Riku off the bed and replaced him with the stick, which became a full sized, tangible replica. The vampires could even drink from it although it would give no nourishment. They would notice that, of course, but it would buy them just enough time. Struggling to maintain his secrecy Axel went back to the others and found Roxas standing over a dead vampire. Axel looked at him and saw he was the piano player. No doubt he'd come down the stairs. They had to hurry.

They were just leaving the house when there was a shout. Someone had discovered the dead body. Axel laughed wildly and let go of the glamour, tossing a fireball into the house. Then he flipped out his cross and turned to Roxas.

"Roxas, ask for light from the Summerland! With me!" Axel gripped his hand and Roxas obeyed without question, feeling _Axel_ traveling up his arm, melding with him. The power was wild and full of fire and Roxas gasped as it hit the cooler stream that was his power. They fused together in a feeling that was terrible and right and as vampires piled out of the house, the sky opened.

Sunlight, clear and crisp and borrowed from the Summerland seared the vampires where they stood. It shut off as abruptly as it had come but that didn't matter. Charred skeletons littered the ground and Sora and Roxas both stared in awe.

"Now that is why fey don't fear vampires." Axel said conversationally as he hoisted Riku. "Let's get out of here before something else goes wrong." Axel didn't quite trust that they'd found all the vampires. Master vampires could sometimes be very old and some would know the dangers of dealing with the fae. But it wouldn't matter. No vampire could travel to the Summerland or track them there. Roxas nodded and took Sora's hand, stepping sideways into the sun.

To the small town that had once been their home, Sora and Riku vanished forevermore.

* * *

"How is he?" Sora watched worriedly as Vexen handled the equipment. Riku was getting a blood transfusion but he still looked absolutely horrible, his skin a grayish shade with dark circles under his eyes. Vexen looked up, irritated.

"Awful. Now go away." Sora winced and looked down. Axel frowned, putting an arm around his shoulders and giving the boy a comforting hug.

"Don't worry. He's like that to everyone." He said but Sora wasn't reassured at all. He was watching his friend with eyes full of tears and Axel felt a sudden certainty. "Your friend. Um, how close a friend is he?" Axel asked cautiously and Sora looked up at him with a wan smile.

"I love him." Sora said simply and Axel nodded. That explained a lot.

"Well, Vexen will do the best for him." Axel promised as Sora sniffed and wiped his eyes. "C'mon, we should get out of the way." From the look on Vexen's face he fully agreed with that sentiment. Axel took Sora to the teacher's break room and quickly replaced his lost cookie with some chocolate chip ones. Sora just looked at them blankly for a long moment before finally biting into one. The cookie quickly vanished then and Axel took one to be friendly. Roxas had already disappeared, probably to join the other kids in class. "So, I guess you two will be staying with us." Sora stopped chewing for a moment and sniffled. "Um, sorry." Axel felt so awkward. Normally the kids who joined them had no real attachments to their family, or only minimal ones. Powerful talent seemed to lead to social disconnect. But Sora wasn't like that at all. He had a mother and father who meant something to him.

"It's okay." Sora managed a brave smile. "If it weren't for you and Roxas we would both be dead. And there might still be some vampires there." Axel nodded somberly. There was no guarantee they'd gotten them all, especially if there had been a much older master vampire around. "I don't want my family to be hurt so it's b-better that we stay here."

"Too true. If any vampires survived they would surely try to get revenge." Vampires were like that. Sora nodded and finished his cookie. "Want something to drink? Coffee?"

Axel spent the next hour getting to know Sora and found that he was a very nice boy. He was also pleased to find out that Sora and Riku were both on the school fencing team. Of course, fencing was different from really using a sword with an intent to kill someone, but there would be some transference. And they were both in excellent shape. Maybe Xemnas wouldn't be too unhappy after all, when the time came to present them.

"What's it like being fey?" Sora asked, a bit worried. Axel smiled at the question.

"Got me. I'm from an old fey-blood family so I've got nothing to compare it to." He explained as Sora looked a little confused. "The first time I saw the Summerland was as a kid. I'm not sure what it feels like to be normal."

"Oh." Sora looked a little discouraged. "I don't really feel any different." He wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but he thought it was bad. Axel shrugged and patted him on the shoulder.

"Just give it time. No matter what, you're one of us now." Xemnas might be callous enough to toss the boys out but the other fey wouldn't stand for it. Axel thought he wouldn't anyway. Even if they were weak, they could still be put to cleaning the place or teaching the students. Everyone else would appreciate a bit of time off. Sora looked a bit cheered at that. "Vexen's probably done the transfusions. Want to go see?"

"Oh yes!" Sora was off like a shot and Axel laughed softly. It was easy to tell the boy was in love. Axel would have done the exact same for Roxas.

The silver haired boy was looking much better, his color almost normal although he was badly bruised. Axel could sense the powerful healing spells that had been laid on him and felt Namine's touch in them. She was the best at healing. To Axel's surprise, he also picked up a powerful fey scent underneath the spells. Was Riku already awakened? If not he was strong. Sora was holding his lover's hand and touching his forehead, whispering something in his ear. Axel was sure Riku couldn't hear him but it was very sweet.

"Sora? Can you tell me a bit about Riku?" He asked as the brunette sniffled. He looked up with a blink. "Does he have a family?" Axel had a feeling… Sora shook his head.

"He has a family but he ran away years ago. They… his mother was raped and never liked him because of it. His step-father was even worse. He came to live with me." Sora swallowed, looking at his lover. "My family didn't understand him. They always said he was cold and distant but he's just hard to get to know." Axel nodded thoughtfully. "I hope he'll fit in here." Sora's voice fell to a whisper and Axel could feel the worry and fear in him. If they didn't fit in here what would they do? Axel touched his shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze.

"I'm sure he'll fit in fine Sora. He feels like he probably has a lot of fey blood in him." Maybe that rapist had been one of the Unseelie court, or a half-breed. The full fey had only finished dying out recently, really, and a few could still be found on small ley line nexuses. The rest of Riku's family history supported that. Strongly talented fey bloods were often very hard to get to know until they discovered the Summerland and relaxed into their true identities. "Xemnas will be pleased." One weaker fey blood and one strong one? Yes, on the whole Xemnas would be very pleased. "Did you want to stay here until he wakes up?"

"Please." Sora didn't want to be separated from Riku. Axel smiled as he found a pillow and a few blankets for the other boy.

He understood how Sora felt completely.

* * *

"I'm not really in the mood, Axel." Roxas frowned as the redhead kissed his throat. Axel laughed and pulled away, lying down beside him. They were in Roxas bed and he hadn't actually invited Axel to join him, the redhead had just followed him. Although he hadn't asked him to leave either. He would if Axel kept this up.

"That's fine. We can just be together." Axel murmured, watching his blonde lover with warm green eyes. Roxas smiled pensively and Axel couldn't help but notice the edge of unhappiness to it. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing. Just thinking." Axel tilted his head slightly. He was noticing this from Roxas a lot lately but had no idea what to make of it. Why wouldn't the blonde be happy? Was he having trouble with the other students? But Axel had already tried questioning further and Roxas just refused to speak. Giving up, Axel leaned in to give Roxas a quick kiss on the cheek.

"You know you can come to me with anything, right?" Axel murmured as he met beautiful blue eyes. Roxas was silent for a moment.

"Of course." He said briskly and Axel blinked. "What were you talking with Namine about?" He abruptly changed the subject to something he was already curious about. They had been together much of the day. Axel hesitated then smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, well. You know how Xemnas is trying to create a half-fey society?" Roxas nodded and Axel sighed. "We're really short on girls. I mean, super short. He's been thinking of awakening some of the weaker ones just to give us more females. But there is another option." Roxas stared at him and Axel grimaced slightly. "A spell. It's not a good spell, not at all, but it can be used to make a man pregnant."

"What! How?" Roxas wasn't sure he wanted to think about this. Ass babies? Gross. Axel laughed at the look on his face.

"It's pure magic, Roxy. No physical contact between the parents is even necessary. Just blood samples from the second parent." Axel shrugged slightly. "Since we're the only stable couple around at the moment, Xemnas wants us to do it." Roxas stared at him, aghast. Was the redhead serious?

"I am not having your baby!" Roxas was absolutely not going to do it. Axel suddenly grinned.

"Who said I'd let you?" Roxas blinked as Axel laughed. "The magic is really hard on the 'mother'. I was planning to do it myself." He was leaving out the full risk of it. Axel was sure he could handle it with Roxas by his side. He'd participated in similar spells before and knew exactly how to handle them. But the blonde was giving him a dirty look. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it."

"Hrmph." Roxas muttered and shook his head, closing his eyes and trying to get to sleep. But this was just making his course of action clearer.

Somehow, he needed to break up with Axel.

* * *

As the week passed, misunderstandings piled upon misunderstandings.

To Roxas, Axel's declarations of love and his general affection felt suffocating and alarming. It was like a man mentioning marriage far too early in the relationship, it just wasn't right. He still cared for the redhead, liked him a lot in fact, but everything was going too fast and he didn't know how to tell him.

Axel, meanwhile, was worried about Roxas. He was much older and came from a frankly alien culture so that he might be going too fast never occurred to him. Any of his family, or the other great, old servant families like Luxord's, would have instinctively understood what sharing a garden meant. And Roxas had been there when they had asked Namine about it and she had told them this meant they were fated to be together. It never occurred to him that the blonde might not believe her. So Axel tried to find out what was troubling Roxas and inadvertently made things worse. But worse was yet to come.

"Are you sure about this Axel?" Namine held up the vial of blood. They drew some during the physicals when the children arrived, although not for the reasons they thought. Sealing a glamour with blood made it far more effective, so they used it to deal with the thorniest issues. Axel shrugged.

"Well, I expect Roxas won't be happy. But Xemnas was right, we really need to do something. Can you make sure the baby is a girl?" Axel asked. He hadn't told Roxas of the gentle pressure Xemnas was exerting on him to do this. Normally he would have told Xemnas to pound dirt but he knew their leader hadn't had any luck trying to persuade more of his and Luxord's kin to join them. The other old families were even less receptive, not even listening to his overtures. Xemnas didn't want to awaken the weaker fey women, for fear that the gifts would be weakened in general, and Axel knew he was right. The power of a woman usually predicted the power of her children. Namine frowned and Axel decided to reassure her a bit more. "If Roxas really hates it Xemnas and Saix can raise the baby. Hell, they'd love to." They weren't exactly a couple, they both slept with other people, but they were partners. Namine hesitated then sighed.

"Well, if your mind is made up. But you understand the risks?" Axel nodded. He'd known it was dangerous before but now he knew more. This spell was actually a variation of something that had been taken from a species of nightmare spider. The spiders used it to impregnate a victim with their eggs, which would resist any attempt at removal. But if they weren't removed… well. They would hatch and the victim would be the first meal.

The fey had taken the form of that spell and mutated it into something that served their needs. Axel was hazy on the reasons for it but knowing the fey, there had probably been perversions at work. In any case, the spell was still basically hostile to the 'mother'. He would have to struggle constantly to keep the spell under control or it would devour too much of his life and magic. If he let that happen, he would never survive the birth. It wouldn't be a normal birth, of course. The spell created a 'womb' in the vital organs so he would require a cesarean, but that was the easiest part of the spell.

Namine opened the vial and called to Vexen. The spell needed more power than she could give it. The chilly academic gave Axel a sharp look but then bent himself to the spell. Axel grimaced in pain as the magic assaulted him and deliberately opened up his aura to it. The spell was designed to defeat resistance so it didn't take long to complete.

"There. You should begin to notice the effects in a month or two." Namine said, stoppering up the vial and putting it away. The baby would grow at a rate that depended on how much power Axel let it have. The spell would keep the child from suffering any harm no matter how fast or slowly it grew, but it would be up to Axel to resist the spell. "Good luck Axel." She thought he was almost insane to try this, but there was no point in mentioning it now. Axel grinned.

"It'll be fine Nam!" He sprang to his feet, feeling the spell in the back of his mind like a tangible weight. But Axel wasn't going to let it get him down. "Well, I better go, I have to run the kids around the yard soon." Namine watched him go and Vexen frowned, feeling a strange apprehension.

But sure Axel was right. Nothing would go wrong.

* * *

"Ah." Axel sighed in pleasure as he took a shower. The hot water sluiced over him and filled the air with steam.

He'd just gotten back from a quick jaunt to Midgar. The best part about living in the Summerland was the ability to span vast distances quickly, if you had the right links. Their fairy ring linked them to the Unseelie court, which they could easily jump from and into the cold iron of Midgar. That made shopping and bar crawling a cinch and he'd just finished a little shopping spree. Baby clothes were just so _cute_ and even if he and Roxas didn't raise the child, they would still be used.

The thought that they might not raise their baby didn't bother Axel at all. In his clan, children were often raised communally. Axel himself had been raised in a crèche, surrounded by other children. His mother had hardly ever visited although his father had often been there. He knew that would sound terrible to most normal humans but it really wasn't. There had only been six children in the crèche for most of it and they'd had the undivided attentions of four adults along with a lot of attention from the rest of the clan. Axel missed his aunts and uncles, cousins and sibs.

He did feel a bit of guilt that he hadn't asked Roxas about this first. But it was mostly a tactical decision. Besides, it was his body. Axel grinned as he thought that. If feminists could say it, so could he! Shrugging to himself he stepped out of the shower and dried off. It was already done, there was no point in worrying about it.

Axel picked up the gifts he'd gotten for Roxas. A book he was sure the blonde would enjoy by an author he liked, a small vase of flowers and a box of chocolate covered biscuits. He wasn't sure if Roxas would care for the flowers, it was a bit girly, but he knew the blonde would love the biscuits. Who didn't love chocolate? Smiling to himself, Axel veiled himself in glamour and walked down to Roxas' room. He opened the door and received the rudest shock in his life.

"Mmm…" Axel could recognize the cute little sounds Roxas made when he was making love. For one desperate moment his confused mind tried to think the blonde was pleasuring himself. But no, there was a second voice and he could see… "Demyx…" The vase slipped out his fingers and hit the ground with a tinkling sound, spilling water and cheerful little gerbers across the floor.

Roxas and Demyx never noticed as Axel fled the scene. Although they would be a bit confused about the glass and wilted flowers the next day.


	7. Spell of Breaking

Author's Note: By the way, if you want to hear the songs from this story check out Heather Alexander. ^_^ She's amazing!

"How could I have been so stupid?!?" Axel raged to himself after firmly laying a silencing spell over his room. He didn't want anyone else to hear him when he threw things and slammed his fists into the wall. Or when he cried. The angry, hurt tears were painful. Very painful. "I should have known better!" He was over sixty! But that was in mortal years. You didn't get old in the Summerland, not really… or maybe it was just different. Axel didn't feel old.

It took some time but he finally slumped onto his bed, exhausted. If this had been a normal emotional wound he would have gone to his garden to recuperate. But now he couldn't. His garden was co-opted, tainted, and for someone who had lived in the Summerland since he was three that was the part that hurt the worst. Axel's garden had always been his and his alone, a place he could go to recharge, meditate and just savor the atmosphere of the Summerland without fear or danger. What was it now? He shook his head and looked around the room, trying to find something, anything that might give some comfort. His gaze fell on the box of chocolates and he hesitated a moment before opening the packaging and looking at the biscuits inside with red rimmed eyes.

And then he ate them.

The next day was extremely uncomfortable. One look at Axel's face was enough to let Roxas know that he knew. Roxas felt terrible about it. He should have broken up with Axel first, before accepting Demyx's offer, but… it wasn't like he'd made any promises to Axel. Quite the reverse, he'd never even told the redhead he loved him. Roxas tried not to think about how many times Axel had said it to him, but he couldn't stop the guilt and the strange, nagging sense of loss.

Axel, meanwhile, concentrated grimly on his food and avoided even looking at the blonde. The biscuits had helped but he needed something better, yet he couldn't wander around most of the Summerland. His… condition would be too much of a weakness. Any of the nightmare creatures of the Summerland would sense it and attack him for an easy meal. He would probably win but it would be a drain on his resources that he didn't need. He needed a safe place to go. Finally giving in, Axel turned to Xion.

"Xion? I hate to ask, but can I use your garden for a while?" He asked quietly and the black haired girl stared at him, almost shocked. That was a very personal request to make. It would have been even worse if she hadn't already invited him to her garden.

"What? Why?" Axel shot a quick glance at Roxas and Xion softened as she understood. "Oh. Had a fight?" Axel shook his head but didn't explain. He _wanted_ to explain, Xion was one of the few people he'd trust with the details but not at the breakfast table. A lot of them had very good hearing. "Alright. You can go there anytime you like." Axel smiled gratefully. Her garden was not what he would have chosen and would be an uncomfortable fit, but it was still the Summerland. It would help. Slightly cheered, Axel turned back to his food. He would have to look to the rest of the clan for support now. Perhaps that would be enough to get him through the spell.

As soon as breakfast was over Axel went to the Summerland. He'd be cutting it fine before his first class but he didn't care. He needed the peace and serenity he could only find there.

Xion's island was exactly as he remembered it, full of sandy beaches, blue skies and the deep blue sea. It was too warm, with a much higher humidity than he liked. Axel shaded his eyes against the bright light, reminded of why he didn't really like Xion's garden. It just wasn't him. But there was more to it than the beach and Axel ventured into the forest. That also wasn't what he would have picked… his garden had no forests, but if it had he thought he would have favored evergreens… but it was pleasant. The shade cut the heat a bit and the humidity wasn't quite as bad. Axel found a nice, comfortable spot under a tree to sit and just take in the energy of the Summerland. As soon as he felt strong enough to go on he went back to the real world.

He was late for the lesson but didn't care. The really vile part of this was that he still had to train Roxas and Demyx as though nothing had happened. He was tempted to give Demyx a very hard time but didn't. The sandy blonde clearly had no idea there was any reason Axel should be upset with him, and how could he know? Axel had been careful with his glamours and Demyx wasn't awakened yet although he probably would be soon. Axel handled the whole thing with grim professionalism, teaching Roxas and Zexion swordplay as always. Zexion picked up on the tension and sometimes glanced between the two of them but he knew better than to say anything about it.

"Axel, I'm – I'm sorry." Roxas finally said when he couldn't bear the silence between them anymore. Axel's eyes flicked over to him and the blonde winced. He'd never seen such coldness in Axel's eyes before.

"Whatever Roxas." He didn't want to hear half-meant apologies. They were worth nothing. Except for corrections, they were both silent for the rest of the lesson. Axel was relieved when he was able to let the class go but wondered. Should he see about switching assignments? That might be a very good idea. This would bring him into far too much close contact with Roxas. He finally decided to go talk to Xemnas about it. This was partly his fault, after all. The patron of the clan could help fix it. He found the elder half-breed working in his study, creating a new piece of magic. Axel frowned as he looked at the papers.

"Is that the Spell of Breaking?" He knew that one. It was a piece of family lore he'd passed on to Xemnas, in fact. Not that anyone in the family would mind. They didn't try to keep the family lore a secret, it just wasn't their nature. Xemnas looked up with a frown then smiled as he saw who it was.

"Indeed. I'm trying to enhance it." Axel stared at him, wondering why he'd want to bother. Xemnas caught the question in his face and cheerfully explained. "The strength of the spell is highly variable right now, depending on the binding in question and the will of the caster. It would be better if it had a more predictable strength."

"Hm." Axel understood what he was saying. With a lot of spells there were easier, weaker versions that could be counted on to do minor things and more powerful versions for harder tasks. The Spell of Breaking wasn't like that. It could be used to break any binding but the power of the unbinding depended entirely on the will and power of the caster. It was a wild, primitive sort of spell but that could make for spectacular results sometimes. "That might be interesting but I was wondering if you could help me. Could Xigbar take over my classes?" Xemnas frowned. "I'll take over his work with the horses." Axel was also the riding instructor so that would be no problem for him. Xigbar might not have fun with his class but he could cope.

"May I ask why?" Xemnas said neutrally and Axel sighed before giving a short, succinct recap of events. Xemnas' frown deepened. "The timing is unfortunate."

"I know. Don't worry, I'll be fine. And if not, well, what will be will be." Xemnas nodded dubiously. Axel was right, there was no point in fretting over it but the Headmaster didn't have to like it.

"Very well. I'll see to it immediately." The last thing Xemnas wanted right now was for Axel to experience more stress. The spell ensured the babies survival but it would do nothing to keep Axel alive and Xemnas did not want to trade the redhead for an infant. Axel smiled tiredly, understanding perfectly what was on his mind. "Will you be coming to Court tonight? We could arrange for Roxas to be elsewhere." Axel inwardly cringed at the thought of seeing the blonde at court, but…

"I'll be coming but no, you don't have to. There's no way to keep him from court for months so I might as well get used to it." He didn't like it and it would sour the experience a bit but there was no help for it. Xemnas nodded again.

"Very well. But please, Axel, if you have any problems come to me immediately. And make certain you visit Namine for regular checkups." That would be critical now. Axel managed another smile and nodded.

"I will." Leaving the study, Axel glanced one last time at the Spell of Breaking. It could be used to break almost any linkage, including the most potent, if you wanted it badly enough. It was said it had been used by Morgan le Faye herself, although he had no idea if that was the truth. It probably wasn't but you never knew. Axel frowned to himself. Why was he thinking about that spell now?

Maybe there was a reason. He'd just have to see.

* * *

Riku finally recovered from his near-coma and joined Sora for lessons. He awakened almost immediately, probably due to Sora's stories of the Summerland and what Roxas and Axel had done to save them. Xemnas was mostly pleased with the additions. Sora wasn't strong but had a knack for swordplay and his grip on human faith was strong. Riku was a typical fey child finding the Summerland for the first time. His delight was a wonderful thing to see and before long they were both very happy. Axel avoided Roxas in court as much as he could, not saying more than two words to the blonde. And as for the Court itself, well, it never changed.

"Dueling fiddles! Let's hear some dueling fiddles!" A half-drunk Luxord urged them and Axel sighed. He wasn't in the mood. But Xion was grinning and poking him with the bow of her fiddle. Resigning himself to the inevitable he picked up his own violin. It was an ancient fey piece, black as soot and actually famous. Axel looked at it blankly for a moment then looked at Xion.

"Let's switch." She was puzzled but willing and took his violin, giving him her own. Hers was a lost Stradivarius that had somehow ended up in the Summerland. No doubt a feckless mortal fiddler had lost it to the fey in a wager. The quality was equal to the black violin, which was a true achievement since that had been made with magic. "I want to be the girl."

"Fine by me!" Xion grinned and they both began to play as she sang.

_One wintry night a wondrous sight I met while riding back,_

_Returning from a keelie with me fiddle in me pack._

_My horse had stopped quite suddenly, it's ears began to twitch,_

_He bucked and threw me pack and all into a nearby ditch._

_I tried to rise but then my eyes alighted on a scene,_

_Of furry creatures dancing like a court around their Queen,_

_She'd been out hunting it was plain, delighted by her prize,_

_And though he was enthralled to her I knew his gentle eyes._

_I stood again and shouted when they drew abreast of me,_

_"I challenge you for you have caught my husband, soon to be!"_

_They stopped and she stared down at me, the Queen astride her steed._

_"I see you have the courage dear, but Skill is what you need."_

_It's carved from out of the finest wood and strung with silver strings,_

_Only mortal trust or fairy dust can make the fiddle sing!_

Xion flourished the black fey violin and Axel smiled as he played. It was always the violin of the Queen because…

_"We each shall play and I will say which fiddle is played best,_

_And should you win this mortal toy I'll free, without protest."_

_They handed her a violin as black as she was vain,_

_She placed a bow upon the strings and then began to play._

Xion made the violin sing a wild, dancing song for her solo. Axel watched the fey dance and tried to ignore Roxas dancing with Marluxia. It meant nothing. Nothing at all.

_My spirit low I raised my bow, I knew not where to start,_

_I looked within my lover's eyes and then within my heart._

_My head was filled with mortal dreams, of love beneath the moon,_

_Of sun and rain and season's change, and so began my tune._

Axel set the bow to strings for his solo and knew he should play a love song. That was how this was supposed to go. But it wasn't what he held in his heart and instead what came forth was a lament. Slow and sad, the poignant notes sang with the magic of broken dreams and lost hopes. There was no dancing, only rapt silence and when he was done some of the fey had to wipe away tears. Xion blinked and had to clear her throat before she could complete the song.

_I raised my head, my arms like lead, my heart ablaze once more,_

_The faerie Queen looked down at me, shaken to the core._

_"I've played for many centures, yet by the stars above,_

_You've taught me skill is not enough. It can't compare to love."_

_It's carved from out of the finest wood and strung with silver string,_

_Only mortal trust or fairy dust can make the fiddle sing!_

The violins were put away and to Axel's relief, Saix picked up a flute and Xigbar picked up a guitar. Neither one of them was very good but that was fine. Technology didn't work here, not really, so what they made was all they had. Axel wandered over to the food. He was always hungry now and it he needed more energy now. Picking up something crunchy he regarded it thoughtfully, then ate it.

"What is all this?" Sora. Axel turned and smiled down at the brunette. He was looking over the spread dubiously and Axel knew why. This was food from the Summerland, made from ingredients found here. Except for the bread. That part they brought with them.

"Well, these are spider legs." Sora's eyes went wide as he looked at the crunchy thing Axel was eating. "Yes, the spiders are big. Don't hunt them alone. If you're not ready for that this is wild turkey." Sora took a plate and got some of that, relieved. "And this is wildflower salad with honey…" Axel explained the rest of the food and soon Sora was loaded up with delicacies. Riku came by a moment later and snagged a spider leg.

"Riku, don't – ew." Sora said weakly as Riku bit off the end. The silver haired boy blinked.

"What?" He chewed and swallowed. "It's good." Sora looked appalled and Axel laughed, grabbing another leg for himself.

"I'd say so." He agreed as he ate a second one. He really did like the spider legs. It made a nice sort of revenge too, since the spiders were always trying to get them when they ventured anywhere near the nightmare lands. And they really were delicious when you cooked them right.

"Are you and Roxas doing okay?" Sora asked innocently. Axel stopped chewing for a moment before forcing a smile.

"No. We're not together anymore." Sora looked shocked at that and Riku winced.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Sora said, subdued. They ate together for a while before he screwed up his courage. "What… what happened?" He remembered the two of them together and he was sure Axel had loved the blonde. Roxas had been more reserved but he'd thought the blonde had loved him too. Axel sighed.

"I walked in on him having sex with someone else." He said briefly. Everyone knew the details by now. They were just trying not to take sides since the clan was too important to let infighting tear it apart. Axel hadn't expected anything else, though, so it didn't bother him that no one was tearing Roxas up for what he'd done. The quiet support he was getting in his pregnancy was enough. Sora was turning to look at Roxas with an unfriendly look in his face. "Sora, don't worry about it. I'm fine now." Axel frowned, a little worried. Sora and Riku didn't understand how the group worked yet. They could cause a rift. Sora looked very distressed.

"But that's horrible!" He gripped Axel's arm. "You know, you should talk to him. Tell him how you feel." Axel was silent for a moment, startled by the idea. Roxas had to know how he felt. Didn't he? Maybe not. Maybe he thought this was just a – a fling. Axel couldn't see how the blonde could think that but maybe he did. Axel felt a stirring of anger at the thought. His hurt was soul deep. Why shouldn't Roxas share it?

"Hmm. Perhaps your right." Axel was aware that he was going well past what Sora had recommended but he remembered something. Something that would give Roxas a taste of how he felt. It would also reclaim his garden and that would be nice. He couldn't stay in Xion's garden forever. Although there might be side effects. He'd need to think about it further.

Yet, in the end, Axel was already certain he knew what he would do.

* * *

"I need to apologize." As time went on Roxas felt worse and worse. He wandered around Axel's garden almost every day but the redhead didn't come. It felt so empty without him. There was no rain anymore, only a dim twilight that felt oddly oppressive. When he went into the buildings they were no longer welcoming, no longer giving him coffee or hot chocolate. Instead he found barren rooms without even furniture and no fires in the fireplaces. Roxas could force the garden to give him what he wanted but it was an effort. It was like he was being rejected.

Yet, this was his garden too. Roxas went to the clock tower. That was his place, the place he'd added to the garden and it still welcomed him. But he stopped in his tracks as he saw a figure in a black cloak, standing beneath the clock tower and looking up at the structure.

"Axel?" He said uncertainly and the hooded head turned. He could see a flash of pale skin and red spikes beneath the black cloth. "Axel!" Roxas started forward, meaning to apologize again, say something – but then Axel began to speak and he stopped as he felt the magic.

_What once has been, for good or ill,_

_Brought by thy wish or by they will,_

_Is now set free and what shall be,_

_Is set by me and my word still._

"Uh!" Roxas gripped his chest as he felt a _tearing_. Thunder suddenly boomed and rain lashed the ground… ground that was beginning to shatter. Roxas was vaguely aware of the sound of crunching steel and tearing earth as he struggled to step forward and grab Axel, stop him, do something… "Axel, stop!" The air felt heavy as molasses. Why couldn't he move? And what was Axel doing that was hurting him so much?

_All that was mine in your control reverts to me whilst you pay toll._

_The bond shall break the law unmake for back I take all mine in whole._

The storm winds rose to a howl as Axel shouted the final line of the Spell of Breaking.

_You have no power over me!_

With those words something broke and Roxas screamed as the broken land carried him into darkness.


	8. Life Sucks

Axel stood on the roof of a building, ignoring the wind that was tugging on his hair and surveyed his garden.

The Spell of Breaking had been painful in the extreme but it was done. Great rents had been torn in the fabric of his garden. The clock tower and railway were gone. The ocean had expanded and buildings had been swallowed by it. Tattered remains jutted out of the dark sea. Between the buildings, blotches of dark red earth were visible, looking almost like bloodstains. Axel swallowed as it began to rain, a heavy, driving rain. He pulled his hood up and retreated into one of the buildings.

"It had to be done." He muttered to himself as he settled onto the couch, picking up a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows that had appeared for him. It was nice and hot but a bit weak, like a cheap store brand. He drank it anyway and tried to ignore the pounding of the rain and the way a chill began to seep into the house, despite the fire. His garden was damaged. It could only give him so much comfort until it healed. If it healed.

It would have to be enough.

* * *

"Why?" Roxas stumbled through the broken land that was his new garden. The clock tower was still there although it looked like it had been hit by lightning. Partially melted as well as burnt, it was a ruin. "Why, Axel?" He'd never dreamed of a pain like this and Roxas was belatedly aware of the truth of Axel's words. Sharing a garden really _had_ meant something. "Fuck!" Panting with pain and exertion he collapsed onto the doorstep of one of the few remaining buildings.

It felt like he'd lost a limb. No, something more vital. It felt like a piece of his heart had been ripped out of his chest. Roxas pulled himself up wearily and went into the house. It greeted him with a fluffy blanket and a mug of hot coffee. The coffee tasted a bit off, like the beans had been burnt, but Roxas drank it anyway as he tried to figure out what to do.

Dull anger kindled as he stared into his coffee. How could Axel have done this to him? Roxas swallowed as he realized that wasn't fair. He'd injured the redhead first, and cruelly. Now Axel had returned the favor… but the redhead had to be suffering just as much as he was. That gave him a kind of satisfaction but it quickly dissolved into a sick, agonized grief. How could it have come to this?

"I didn't really mean it." Roxas whispered as he looked into his mug. "I didn't…" Sniffing, he lifted the drink and took another sip. It was hot and wet even if it wasn't very good.

His garden couldn't give much comfort when it was this badly damaged but he would just have to take what he could get.

* * *

Over the next few months, the other fey noticed changes in both Roxas and Axel. They were not good changes.

There was no connection between the two anymore. In the past, they had just seemed so right together, even when they were upset with each other. Now it seemed like there was no connection at all, or perhaps a very weak one. The two avoided each other as much as possible. Really, what was there to say? There were more changes than just that though. Roxas developed a low grade fever that refused to go away despite multiple treatments. At first, Axel seemed to be doing better but that was a false surface. His problems, when they surfaced, were far more alarming.

The problem began when he arrived for his weekly checkup. Xemnas had given Axel firm orders not to skip his appointments in the medical clinic. Namine gently palpitated his stomach, frowning faintly as Axel winced. He felt very tender there, not surprising really. Pregnancy was not a normal male condition. Her concerns, though, went beyond that.

"Axel, the baby is developing rather fast. Are you sure you can handle this?" Namine was seriously concerned by the drain of strength on Axel. "I think the child is almost five months along, physically. Do you need help with the glamours?" Axel smiled tiredly and shook his head.

"I already have Vexen and Marluxia doing those for me." He wasn't the best at glamours anyway and there was no need to sap his strength unnecessarily. "I'm doing to best I can Nam'." He was aware that it wasn't really good enough but it was getting harder and harder to resist the relentless pull of the spell. It had gotten quite a bit worse since he'd used the Spell of Breaking. The internal wound had lessened his ability to resist and the worst part was that Axel wasn't sure he cared anymore. He was fighting that apathy but it was hard. The redhead knew that if he gave in to that feeling he would never survive the birth.

"Hmmm." Namine made a noncommittal sound and put a blood pressure cuff around his arm. "Meditate a little, please." Axel nodded and gently tranced himself. It would help her get the best possible readings. "…Not good." Namine muttered a short time later and Axel blinked, focusing on her.

"Huh?" His blood pressure had always been notoriously low. What could be wrong? Unless it was too low, that could be a medical condition almost as dangerous as high blood pressure. Namine gave him a reassuring smile but Axel caught the anxious edge underneath.

"Your blood pressure is quite high, especially for you. I need to run a few more tests." Axel frowned as Namine began pulling out equipment. "Pee in this." She handed him a specimen bottle and Axel grimaced.

"Gee, thanks." Fortunately he did have to go so it wasn't very hard. Namine took the filled bottle without comment as he zipped himself back up. "What's going on Nam?" Axel didn't like this at all. The blonde girl pursed her lips thoughtfully and shook her head.

"Probably nothing. But you look a little puffy." That made Axel blink. He had noticed a certain puffiness around his hands and face. "Along with the increased blood pressure you might be starting to suffer preeclampsia."

"English please?" He said plaintively and she smiled sympathetically before carefully explaining.

"No one is sure what causes it. It's thought to be a toxic reaction to the placental fluid. Has anyone in your family ever suffered it?" Axel frowned and shook his head. He had a very large family and he'd never heard of this before. "Ah. Well, I would guess the invasive nature of the spell might be causing it. You don't have any of the risk factors associated with it, like a previous history of high blood pressure or excessive weight." Namine shook her head. "But we won't know for certain until I get the results from your urine test. If there are elevated proteins then it's definitely preeclampsia."

"So what's the treatment?" Axel had a bad feeling he knew what she was going to say. She confirmed it a moment later.

"Complete bedrest. You might need to stay here in the clinic for observation. This is a very serious complication, Axel. It can lead to full blown eclampsia and that can result in seizures and death. It can kill the baby too." Axel frowned at that and Namine anticipated his next question. "No, the spell won't necessarily protect the child from this. It should but there are no guarantees." The spell was more optimized to avoiding an immune response from the host. This wasn't Axel's body trying to reject the foreign invader, it was just a side effect of the pregnancy.

"Fuck." Axel muttered to himself. He hated bed rest. He'd had to spend almost two weeks in bed once when he was bitten by a dream spider and really didn't want to do it again. But if Namine was right there would be no way out of it. "Let me know as soon as you get the results, okay?" Axel pushed himself to his feet, feeling dizzy for just a moment before he braced himself. Namine watched him as he left the clinic and shook her head. Then she began flipping through her file of healing spells.

They might need something very strong to deal with this.

* * *

"I hate him." Roxas muttered to himself as he grimly applied himself to his food.

"Well, you yanked his heart out and stomped on it. I guess he just wanted to return the favor." Sora said, entirely unsympathetic. Riku gripped his shoulder as Roxas scowled at the brunette.

"Fuck off. This has nothing to do with you." Roxas snarled and Sora scowled before Riku murmured something in his ear. Then he looked down at his food. Roxas swallowed, feeling the silent disapproval of several of the others. They were staying out of things for the sake of the group but that meant they didn't want to hear anything from either Roxas or Axel, in public at least. Roxas had figured out how things worked here but Sora was having a few problems. Riku seemed to be catching on better. He and Sora were talking quietly and Roxas caught Sora giving him a speculative look but he ignored it. They could do what they liked.

The truth was, his garden was not getting better. He'd quietly spoken to Namine about it but she'd had very few suggestions. The sea was expanding, gradually devouring the land. Roxas wasn't sure what that meant but it was probably nothing good. He was feeling more unbalanced and the aching emptiness in his heart wasn't going away. He glanced up at the table and saw Axel slumping slightly in his seat, his face completely blank. The redhead looked miserable and for just a moment Roxas almost imagined he could feel something, a hint of the connection. Then Axel looked up and met his eyes. They were empty as green glass and Roxas looked away, swallowing. He was just imagining things.

Later that day, Axel got a very unusual surprise.

"Axel?" The redhead looked up from his work, vaguely surprised to see Sora and Riku. He was feeding the horses, hauling bales of good hay into the field and carefully spreading them out so all the horses would get an even share. They'd found that left it all in one bale the stronger horses would crowd out the weaker. There was plenty of food but a few of the horses were pigs about it. "Um, Riku and I were wondering. Would you like to come to our room tonight?" Sora asked, clearly nervous and a little embarrassed. Axel blinked slowly at the brunette then looked at Riku, meeting calm aquamarine eyes. Surely they weren't suggesting…?

"Are you sure?" Axel said as he considered the offer. There was no reason not to take them up on it. He was getting bigger but the glamour would keep them from noticing. It wasn't an illusion so much as an instruction not to pay attention, and that's exactly what they would do, even during sex. Axel blinked as Sora suddenly hugged him.

"Axel… we want to help you. You look awful." He said sincerely, looking into Axel's eyes. His caring blue eyes were the same shade as Roxas' and Axel felt a sudden wave of hurt. The blonde had never cared for him like this. "You saved our lives." Axel didn't point out that Roxas' had had plenty to do with that as well. "If you need some comfort, we'd be glad to help." Axel swallowed, hugging Sora back for a moment. Then he looked at Riku.

"How do you feel about this?" He asked carefully. The last thing he wanted was to disrupt their relationship. But the silver haired young man gave him a half-smile.

"I'm fine with it." Riku put an arm around Sora's shoulders as he stepped back. "I've always wondered what a threesome would be like and we do owe you a lot." His smile turned warmer. "And you're pretty sexy." Axel couldn't help but smile at that, feeling a touch of his old pleasure in life coming back.

"Sure, why not?" He owed Roxas absolutely nothing now. "I'll meet you after supper." It was only a bit after lunch so they all had classes and work to be done before then. Sora smiled brilliantly as Axel hefted another hay bale.

"Later then!" Axel smiled to himself as the two boys left, hand in hand. It had been decades since he'd done a threesome.

He hoped he still had the knack.

Axel hardly noticed Roxas at supper, catching Sora's eyes and making the brunette giggle. Riku was smiling and Roxas noticed the strange undercurrents. To the blonde, it was just confusing. He had no idea what was going on between the three of them. Whatever it was, it seemed to be making Axel happy and Roxas frowned in silent resentment. Then he rubbed his head and shivered. The fever was really getting to him. He felt heavy, tired and sick. Roxas watched Axel leave the table with Sora and Riku and vaguely wondered if they were going to play cards. Then he decided he didn't care, going back to picking at his food.

"Axel?" Sora looked up worriedly at the redhead as he stumbled. "Are you alright?" Riku paused, looking back. Axel didn't look very good to him.

"You're sweating." The silver hair commented as he stepped back, gripping Axel's arm. Axel rubbed his face as a wave of dizziness hit him. He found himself leaning against Riku and wasn't sure how he'd gotten there. "Are you alright?" The younger boy sounded very concerned. Axel swallowed as he realized his vision was very hazy.

"I think you better get me to the med centre." He managed to say and Riku and Sora exchanged a look. Riku put an arm around him, helping him as Sora trailed behind them.

"Axel, what's wrong?" Sora sounded very worried but the redhead ignored him. Most of the fey only knew that he was engaged in an involved spell, not the details of it. The only exceptions were Saix, Xemnas, Marluxia, Vexen and Namine. Saix and Xemnas had been behind the whole thing so obviously they knew. He needed Marluxia and Vexen to spin the glamours and Namine was their nurse so she had to know as well. No one else had been told, which was how he liked it. Axel did not want to deal with Roxas' reaction right now. It wasn't his business anyway.

"Axel!" Namine hurried over as soon as she saw him, concern on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Dizzy… my eyesight is blurry…" Axel muttered and Namine immediately put him on a table, getting out the blood pressure cuff again.

"Try to trance, please." It was extremely difficult but Axel attempted to follow her instructions. "Oh this is not good. The results haven't come back but I'm sure, you definitely have preeclampsia." She said and Axel frowned, jerking his head towards Riku and Sora. They were listening and Sora was frowning. Riku just looked blank. "Your blood pressure is going through the roof." She reached for a needle and began filling it with something.

"I tried to cut down on my salt – ow!" Axel winced as Namine slapped him lightly on the head. She was scowling as she put a cuff around his arm, preparing him for the injection.

"Did I tell you to do that?" She said tartly as she administered the shot. "No? Axel, this condition is not normal high blood pressure and salt is vital for your… other condition. You are not to cut back on it at all." Axel blinked at that. "Your blurry vision is being caused by the high blood pressure pushing your retina forward. That can lead to detachment and possible blindness."

"What!" Axel swallowed heavily and shook his head. "What should I do?" He hadn't been aware of that particular possibility. Blind? Namine's voice softened.

"Bedrest and injections of magnesium sulfate will help. So will drinking plenty of fluids to flush out the proteins. That's all we can do until the spell is over." Axel appreciated her efforts in avoiding the word 'pregnancy'. Unfortunately, it was proved futile when Sora opened his mouth.

"Preeclampsia? I don't understand. That's something pregnant women get, isn't it?" Namine and Axel exchanged a glance and Sora's eyes went round. "Wait, you're PREGNANT? How?" Riku looked shocked and slightly nauseated at the idea.

"Lower your voice!" Axel hissed at the brunette, then swallowed. "Shit." He really didn't want to go into this. But it looked like there was no choice. "Xemnas asked me to, okay? There's a spell. He and Saix are going to raise the child." That was what had been decided and Axel was mostly relieved. What if the baby looked like Roxas? It would be a painful reminder of his mistakes.

"But that means Roxas is going to be a father." Riku said slowly. "Does he know?" Axel looked away as Namine bit her lip. "He doesn't, does he?" Sora looked shocked at that thought.

"Axel, that's horrible! You need to tell him. He has rights to the baby you know." That made Axel blink. Rights?

"No he doesn't." Axel's flat contradiction caught the two boys off guard. "Why would you say that?" It didn't make any sense to him. Sora was struggling for an answer when Namine cleared her throat.

"Sora, Riku, this is a cultural difference." She said gently as the two boys stared. "The fey are matrilineal and Axel's family follows the fey ways. A male parent has no rights to a child. In fact, very few fae males would help raise their children at all." Sora and Riku both looked like that was hard to swallow. Axel found their reactions difficult to understand. "If Roxas wishes to help I'm certain Xemnas and Saix will let him. But he has no say in what will happen to this child."

"But – but what about child support? Not for Roxas, I mean for most fey… didn't they do that?" Sora asked tentatively and Namine shook her head.

"No. A fey male would give no support aside from helping the clan, if he decided to stay. If not the woman's clan would do everything. If a female fey had a baby when the clan couldn't support it, she would be subject to justice from her clan. Of course, that would be a very rare occurrence. Fey are not very fertile." Axel noticed that Namine didn't mention what that justice would be. He knew it could be anything up to the death of the woman and the child, if the clan was particularly strapped for resources. His family had been in dire straights once or twice but as far as he knew they'd never had to resort to that.

"You still should tell him. Roxas deserves to know Axel." Sora said stubbornly as Riku bit his lip. Axel favored them both with a glare.

"He deserves nothing! Now leave me alone." He put a hand over his eyes as he vaguely heard Namine telling the two boys not to give him stress right now. He vaguely wondered if he'd ever get another chance to take Sora and Riku up on their offer.

Probably not. It was a pity, they were both very nice. But at least they could be friends.


End file.
